VLGVAIY DT Z….. (Please refer to your newspaper for complete puzzle.)
TODAY’S ANSWER:
ANSWER: OCTOBER IS A HALLELUJAH! REVERBERATING IN MY BODY YEAR-ROUND. —JOHN NICHOLS (Scroll down for more)
JOHN NICHOLS
JULY 23, 1940 – NOVEMBER 27, 2023 • AGED 83 • AMERICAN NOVELIST & AUTHOR OF THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR
📚 A STORYTELLER FROM AN EARLY AGE
John Treadwell Nichols was born in Berkeley, California, and grew up in New York. He began writing stories as a child and continued producing fiction while attending Hamilton College, long before becoming a published novelist.
🎬 FROM THE PAGE TO THE BIG SCREEN
Nichols published his first novel, The Sterile Cuckoo, in 1965, exploring an unusual romance between two college students. The story became a 1969 film starring Liza Minnelli, who received an Academy Award nomination for her performance.
🏔️ THE MOUNTAINS THAT INSPIRED HIM
In 1969, Nichols moved to Taos, New Mexico, where he would spend the rest of his life. The region’s landscapes, communities, and struggles over land and water became central subjects in his writing.
🌱 ONE BEANFIELD, ONE BIG BATTLE!
His best-known novel, The Milagro Beanfield War (1974), tells the story of a New Mexico farmer whose decision to irrigate a beanfield sparks a conflict with powerful interests. Blending humor and community spirit, the book explores the importance of land, water, and local traditions.
🎥 ROBERT REDFORD BRINGS MILAGRO TO LIFE
Robert Redford directed the film adaptation of The Milagro Beanfield War, released in 1988, with Nichols helping write the screenplay. The movie introduced the fictional community of Milagro to a wider audience and brought its colorful characters to the screen.
🌟 MORE THAN JUST A NOVELIST
Nichols completed his New Mexico trilogy with The Magic Journey and The Nirvana Blues, and also wrote nonfiction celebrating the natural world. A photographer and longtime advocate for environmental protection, he died in Taos in 2023, leaving behind a body of work closely connected to his adopted home.
Sources