The Authors Guild, the Authors Guild Foundation, and the Authors League Fund honor and celebrate the life of Sidney Offit, a brilliant leader, acclaimed author, teacher, and supporter of writers everywhere, who died on October 3, 2026, at 97 years old.

Sidney Offit was the author of many books, including two memoirs, the bestseller Memoir of the Bookie’s Son and Friends, Writers, and Other Countrymen; two novels, He Had It Made and The Other Side of the Street; and a dozen books for young readers, including The Adventures of Homer Fink and Soupbone. He was also a beloved writing teacher at New York University and The New School for more than 50 years, starting in the mid-‘60s and inspiring thousands of young writers.

Offit served as a vice president of the Authors Guild and Authors League Fund and was a founder of the Authors Guild Foundation, serving as its president and tireless guide for more than 20 years. He was integral to shaping all three organizations, and was, in the words of Authors League Fund President Pat Cummings, the “institutional memory of the Guild… an invaluable adviser, a gifted writer, an elegant raconteur, and a wry wit.”

Robert Caro, Authors Guild president from 1979 to 1981, wrote in a tribute to Offit in 2016: “There is simply no figure in the world to compare with him: in his length of service with the Guild, the Foundation, and the Fund; for his influence as a teacher of writing, and for the writings themselves. He has, more than any other person I can think of, made the New York literary world a better place to be.”

Offit was also on the board of PEN America for decades and was a vice president from 1971 to 1974. He was the curator of the George Polk Awards in Journalism from 1972 to 2009. From 1975 to 1985 Offit was the “liberal voice of New York” on a nightly debate on WNEW-TV 10 O’Clock News with Dr. Martin Abend.

Scott Turow, president of the Authors Guild from 1997 to 1998 and from 2010 to 2014, wrote: “Every organization would be blessed to have someone like Sidney—genial, committed, witty, smart and kind … As an authors’ advocate what stands out most about Sidney is his tirelessness. He has remained committed to the cause long after many others would have been pleased to hand off the baton. He is ever understanding of those who lack his will or energy. But he goes on with good humor and an even pace. He is a fount of stories and jokes. And I am always struck by his dedication to his family … Sidney is one of those people about whom I think I’ve had a better life for knowing him, for working beside him and seeing his example.”

Sidney Offit’s profound impact on writers and the organizations that support them will be felt for generations to come. We send our deepest sympathy to his family, and to his many friends and loved ones.