15 Facts About Clifton Fadiman

Clifton Paul "Kip" Fadiman was an American intellectual, author, editor, and radio and television personality.

Clifton Fadiman began his work in radio, and switched to television later in his career.

Clifton Fadiman's mother worked as a nurse; his father, Isadore, immigrated from Russian empire in 1892 and worked as a druggist.

At his interview with Max Schuster, Clifton Fadiman pulled out a folder with a hundred ideas for books.

Clifton Fadiman offered to let me try my hand at translating a little German book.

Clifton Fadiman became emcee for the National Book Award ceremonies in 1938 and 1939, at least, and again when those literary awards by the American book industry were re-inaugurated in 1950.

Clifton Fadiman became a judge for the Book of the Month Club in 1944.

Clifton Fadiman made frequent appearances on the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts from 1949 to 1960.

Clifton Fadiman was the last master of ceremonies to host the ABC-TV game show The Name's the Same.

Clifton Fadiman became a prime example of the "witty intellectual" type popular on television in the 1950s.

Clifton Fadiman received the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation.

Clifton Fadiman received the Clarence Day Award from the American Library Association in 1969.

Clifton Fadiman co-wrote Thunder Out of China with Theodore H White.

Clifton Fadiman lost his eyesight when he was in his early 90s but continued to review manuscripts for the Book of the Month Club by listening to tapes of books recorded by his son Kim, after which Clifton Fadiman would dictate his impressions to his secretary.

Clifton Fadiman died at the age of 95 of pancreatic cancer on June 20,1999, in Sanibel, Florida; he lived on nearby Captiva Island.