Lawrence Dorr

Lawrence Dorr (1925– December 7, 2014) was the nom de plume of Janos Shoemyen, a Hungarian-American author. Born in Budapest, Hungary, he escaped his homeland during the Soviet occupation and subsequently endured an itinerant life in immediate post-war Europe, managing to emigrate, first to the UK and then the USA, finally settling in Gainesville, Florida.^[1] He was the author a of number of short story collections including A Slow Soft River, A Bearer of Divine Revelation, and A Slight Momentary Affliction, the latter receiving a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.^[2] Three of his short stories appeared in the respected literary journal, The Virginia Quarterly Review.

Dorr's work is best known for its highly literary, almost poetic quality, and the strong presence of faith and Christianity. In these works he frequently deals with the after-effects of World War II, both on his homeland and the individual. His later work is heavily influenced by the landscape of south and north Florida as it flashbacks to the horrors faced before his escape from occupied Budapest.^[3]

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