R.I.P. "WILLARD" creator Stephen Gilbert

We just learned that Irish novelist Stephen Gilbert died. Critically lauded, Gilbert is fondly remembered in our corner for his squirmy 1968 novel RATMAN’S NOTEBOOKS, which served as the basis for both the 1971 Daniel Mann film WILLARD (the novel is more commonly referred to by this name in the U.S.) and its 2003 Crispin Glover starring remake.

Born in 1912, Gilbert passed through a host of professions and a stint in WWII in addition to his literary notoriety. His more genre-oriented output includes MONKEYFACE, about an ape-boy who makes the transition from the jungle to suburban Belfast; and THE BURNABY EXPERIMENTS, in which a millionaire enlists the help of a young man to participate in his studies with psychic translocation.

Gilbert died June 23 in Northern Ireland.