Part 2 of The Third Coast by Thomas Dyja, this year's One Book, One Chicago selection, covers the years 1945 to 1949. Dyja's sweeping history pays particular attention to the development of art and culture in Chicago, focusing on architecture, music, television and literature. One person he highlights in this section is Nelson Algren, a novelist whose work examines the gritty underworld of Chicago.
In addition to giving information about Algren's life and work in Chicago, Dyja also tells the story of Algren's affair with Simone de Beauvoir, the famous French philosopher. I'm sure there is more to come about Algren in future chapters of The Third Coast, but if you can't wait until Part 3 becomes available to read online, you can learn more about Algren here in Special Collections.
The Chicago Public Library bought the Nelson Algren Collection in 1985 from Paul and Beth Garon of Beasley Books in Chicago, who had built it over the previous 20 years. The collection includes every piece of published work Algren produced, from The Man with the Golden Arm, which won the first ever National Book Award in 1950, to his short stories and magazine articles. Reviews, blurbs, information about screen adaptations, a handful of personal letters written to friends, and articles and interviews about Algren all appear. This collection will keep any reader interested in Algren plenty busy.
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