Nelson Algren

James A. Lewin (Shepherd College)
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Marginalized but not forgotten, Nelson Algren remains one of the most underrated authors of American literature. Algren published five novels, a volume of short stories, three books of nonfiction, and a book length essay

Chicago: City on the Make

. The recipient of numerous grants and prizes, including the first National Book Award in 1950 for

The Man with the Golden Arm

and the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award for Merit in 1974, he defined literature as “a protest made against the legal apparatus by a conscience in touch with humanity.”

Yet most academic critics have ignored Algren. Except for a coterie of enthusiasts and fellow writers, the current generation of readers has rarely heard of his work. The irony is that Algren represents American idealism at its

2746 words

Citation: Lewin, James A.. "Nelson Algren". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 June 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=78, accessed 19 March 2024.]

78 Nelson Algren 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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