Roger Ebert Dead

Roger Ebert, my favorite film critic passed away from complications of cancer today. Given today’s fragmented media market, he will never be outdone. There’s much that could be said about his career and influence, but I will gladly leave this to others who are more knowledgeable.

But I wanted to post this letter Ebert sent to an student who was about 11 or 13 at the time.

Dana Stevens went on to study comparative literature at UC Berkeley, started a blog and is now a professional film critic. She has written for the New York Times, the Atlantic and the Washington Book World, among others.

Proof that real letters are more inspiring than e-mail!