Kaufman, who is popular for her work 'Up the Down Staircase', passed away at her home in Manhattan.
- July 26, 2014
AceShowbiz -
Bel Kaufman, a former school teacher who is popular for writing "Up the Down Staircase", has passed away. Her daughter Thea Goldstine confirmed the sad news to New York Times, saying that her mother died at her home in Manhattan on Friday, July 25. She was 103.
Kaufman was born in Germany on May 10, 1911 and she moved to N.Y. at the age of 12. She went to Hunter College and later received master's degree in English from Columbia University.
"Up the Down Staircase" was published in 1965. The book centers on a young teacher named Sylvia Barrett who is trapped in bureaucracy. The book became bestseller. It has been sold more than six million copies and translated into at least 16 languages, the news outlet reports. It was adapted into a movie starring Sandy Dennis in 1967. Kaufman published another novel "Love, Etc." in 1979.
Kaufman was first married to Sydney Goldstine, but they got divorced. Besides her daughter, she is survived by her second husband Sidney J. Gluck, a son, a brother and a granddaughter.
