CHICAGO — Nelson Algren will not go away. Although he moved from Chicago in 1975 and died in 1981, he has managed to remain a frequent visitor, in the form of his famous novels, of course, but also in other ways that have given him a strange form of immortality.
Before telling you of the latest Algren appearance, which is a fine book titled “The Short Writings of Nelson Algren: A Study of the Stories, Essays, Articles, Reviews, Poems and Other Literature,” let me remind you of some others.
His books are still read and studied, among them his first novel, “Somebody in Boots” (1935); what I consider his best, “Never Come Morning” (1942); his most famous, “The Man with the Golden Arm” (1949 and winner of the National Book Award); the nonfiction masterpiece “Chicago: City on the Make” (1951). There was 2009′s posthumous collection, “Entrapment and Other Writings,” and biographies, most recently a couple of very good ones, including Mary Wisniewski’s terrific “Algren: A Life”; and two documentary films. The Tribune long presented annual literary awards in Algren’s name, last in 2019. There is a Nelson Algren Museum in Miller Beach, Indiana, and celebrations of his March 28 birthday, and seminars and …
