Nelson Algren

Author profile

born

March 28, 1909 in Michigan, The United States

died

May 09, 1981

gender

male

genre

Literature & Fiction

About this author

edit data

Born of Swedish-immigrant parents, Nelson Ahlgren Abraham moved at an early age from Detroit to Chicago. At Illinois University he studied journalism. His experiences as a migrant worker during the Depression provided the material for his first novel Somebody in Boots (1935). Throughout his life Algren identified with the American underdog. From 1936 to 1940 (the highpoint of left-wing ideas on the US literary scene) he was editor of the Illinois Writers' Project. In 1942, after putting the finishing touches to his second novel, he joined the war as an enlisted man. Never Come Morning received universal acclaim, and eventually sold over a million copies.

Algren's style is a dark naturalism that passionately records the details of trapped urb...more

combine editions
Books by Nelson Algren

Average rating: 4.01 · 2,330 ratings · 245 reviews · 24 distinct works

	The Man With the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren, William J. Savage, Jr. (Editor), Daniel Simon (Editor) 3.95 avg rating — 821 ratings — published 1949 — 28 editions	My rating:
	A Walk on the Wild Side by Nelson Algren, Russell Banks (Foreword) 3.94 avg rating — 423 ratings — published 1956 — 18 editions	My rating:
	Chicago: City on the Make by Nelson Algren, Studs Terkel (Introduction), Bill Savage (Editor) 4.18 avg rating — 295 ratings — published 1951 — 6 editions	My rating:
	The Neon Wilderness by Nelson Algren, Studs Terkel (Afterword), Tom Carson (Introduction) 4.23 avg rating — 231 ratings — published 1952 — 6 editions	My rating:
	Never Come Morning by Nelson Algren, Kurt Vonnegut (Introduction), H.E.F Donohue (Contributor) 4.08 avg rating — 179 ratings — published 1941 — 16 editions	My rating:
	Nonconformity: Writing on Writing by Nelson Algren, Daniel Simon (Editor), C.S. O'Brien (Annotations) 4.00 avg rating — 86 ratings — published 1996 — 6 editions	My rating:
	The Last Carousel 3.90 avg rating — 48 ratings — published 1973 — 2 editions	My rating:
	Somebody in Boots 3.95 avg rating — 37 ratings — published 1935 — 2 editions	My rating:
	Conversations with Nelson Algren by Nelson Algren, H.E.F. Donohue, H. E. F. Donohue 3.75 avg rating — 28 ratings — published 1964	My rating:
	The Devil's Stocking by Nelson Algren, Herbert Mitgang (Foreword by) 3.42 avg rating — 24 ratings — published 1983 — 4 editions	My rating:

More books by Nelson Algren…

Quotes by Nelson Algren

“Never sleep with someone whose troubles are worse than your own.”
― Nelson Algren

tags: sex

49 people liked it

“Yet once you've come to be part of this particular patch, you'll never love another. Like loving a woman with a broken nose, you may well find lovelier lovelies. But never a lovely so real.”
― Nelson Algren

15 people liked it

“... Chicago divided your heart. Leaving you loving the joint for keeps. Yet knowing it never can love you.”
― Nelson Algren

tags: urban

13 people liked it

See all Nelson Algren's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
GR-101: Book Appr...: I Recommend...	8	6	Feb 01, 2010 07:11pm
The Mystery, Crim...: Books like The Sting	8	24	Oct 04, 2010 06:11pm
Bookish: National Book Award - Fiction	34	126	Oct 13, 2011 07:36am
100+ Books in 2012: Leslie's 2011 100+ Books Challenge	92	30	Jan 02, 2012 11:34am
The History Book ...: * WHAT IS EVERYBODY READING NOW?	1575	1087	May 26, 2012 08:10am
The Next Best Boo...: The Title Game	16891	12089	1 hour, 53 min ago
The Next Best Boo...: Last Letter Game (Writers/Authors)	1055	846	1 hour, 48 min ago

More…

Nelson's Fans (44)

Nelson Algren

Author profile

combine editionsBooks by Nelson Algren

Quotes by Nelson Algren

Topics Mentioning This Author

combine editions
Books by Nelson Algren