Description
Book Synopsis Nelson Algren was a renowned Chicago writer known for his social commentary and his novels like The Man with the Golden Arm and A Walk on the Wild Side. Although he continues to be remembered almost exclusively for his novels, this book aims to highlight the value and influence of his short form works.
Before he died in 1981, Algren had amassed a genre-defying body of work, including short stories, articles, poems and book reviews. The present book features a comprehensive analysis and discussion of Algren''s lost literature, including everything but his novels.
One of the pieces covered is a masterpiece of race relations written in 1950, more than 60 years before the galvanization of the Black Lives Matter movement. Another is a scathing poem about Algren''s transatlantic love affair with Simone de Beauvoir. Both items are reprinted in the book courtesy of the Algren estate. This book also includes references to Algren''s works that have yet to
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Part One: Literary Eras
- The Men's Magazines Era
- The Chicago Free Press Era
- The Chicago Magazine Era
- Part Two: Specific Genres
- Poetry
- Nelson Algren and the Ethics of Book Reviewing
- Book Introductions
- Part Three: Special Interests
- Chicago White Sox Literature
- The Writing of Chicago: City on the Make
- Boxing Short Stories and Other Works
- Gambling Short Stories and Other Works
- Horse Racing Short Stories and Other Works
- Epilogue
- Appendix A: Anthologies
- Appendix B: "The World's Busiest Police Station": A Lost Masterpiece on Race Relations
- Appendix C: Bibliography for Captions to Illustrations
- Index
