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E. L. Doctorow was born on January 6, 1931.
E. L. Doctorow was 84 years old when he died on July 21 2015 (birthdate: January 6, 1931).
Ragtime
Do you perhaps mean this book: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/e-l-doctorow/city-of-god.htm ? if so, it is by E. L. Doctorow.