Simplify the following text for a Grade 5 native English-speaking person.
Original: Elwyn Brooks White ( July 11 , 1899 â `` October 1 , 1985 ) was an American writer .
Simplified: Elwyn Brooks White ( July 11 , 1899 â `` October 1 , 1985 ) , usually known as E. B. White , was an American writer .