E.L. Doctorow on the Problematic Nature of Writing Novelsbr Chautauqua Institution - Chautauqua Institutionbr Master of Historical Fiction E. L. Doctorow in conversation with Roger Rosenblatt at the Chautauqua Institute.E. L. Doctorow is best known for his works The Book of Daniel and Ragtime. Doctorow's most recent book is The March, set during the Civil War.