Nelson Algren Summary

Biography EssayNelson Algren can be categorized, first of all, as a journalist. For forty-eight years he recorded life in the back alleys of America's cities and the problems of isolated people with n... Read more

Nelson Algren can be categorized, first of all, as a journalist. For forty-eight years, he recorded life in the back alleys of America's cities and the problems of isolated people with no skills who a... Read more

In the following review of The Neon Wilderness, Woodburn states that the collection is uneven but praises Algren's sympathetic characterization. The world of Nelson Algren's The Neon ... Read more

In the following excerpt, Lid provides an overview of Algren's career and critical reaction to his works. He also discusses the short story "A Bottle of Milk for Mother." It i... Read more

In the following introduction to the 1986 edition of The Neon Wilderness, Carson calls the collection "the pivotal book of Nelson Algren's career" and comments on Algren's ... Read more

Below, Wilhelm comments favorably on The Texas Stories of Nelson Algren. Best known for his tales of urban slums, Algren also wrote eloquently about the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. He first experie... Read more

In the review of The Neon Wilderness below, Brown praises Algren's portrayal of the downtrodden and discusses the plots of various stories. The challenge of the short story must be infinitel... Read more

In the following excerpt, Geismar comments on Algren's focus on character development in The Neon Wilderness. The stories in The Neon Wilderness (1948) are in a softer vein [than Algren�... Read more

In the following essay, Lid discusses the primary conflicts in the short story "A Bottle of Milk for Mother" by examining Algren's use of detail, character, and symbolism. In &... Read more

In the following review of The Last Carousel, Frakes comments on Algren's use of humor in the stories. It's about time! When we've got a living American writer as sure-footed a... Read more

Critical Essay by George Bluestone Nelson Algren is known as a Chicago novelist, but he is only secondarily an urban writer. He has chosen, rather, to explore the theme of death and survival among ou... Read more

Critical Essay by Ross Macdonald I have never quite met Nelson Algren—we talked on the phone once—but he has been a continuing influence in my life. He is the poet of the sad metropolis... Read more