Nelson Algren 11-05-1975
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Authors
Algren, Nelson
Issue Date
1975-11-05
Type
Video
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Abstract
Gregory Fitzgerald and Jack C. Wolf Interview Nelson Algren, who at the time had been a published author for over forty years. His most notable works at this time were "The Man with the Golden Arm" and "A Walk on the Wild Side", both of which were made into films. The Session begins with Algren reading an excerpt from "Chicago: A City on the Make", a book length poem published in 1951. Fitzgerald asks Algren to tell the story of Gregorio Cortez in great detail. Algren goes on to share how Cortez had gone about evading and fooling the Texas Rangers. The conversation turns to the connection between Nelson Algren's personal story and how the Robin Hood trope would emerge in his writing. He describes his fascination with survival and some of the less than savory things he had to do to survive after he left college. He realized he could make more money writing stories than he could selling coffee and swindling individuals so he set himself up in West Texas and began writing short stories. Algren describes the quality of "Somebody in Boots" and mentions where the title comes from. Fitzgerald asks Algren to describe where he stands with academic critics and critics and general. They also explore Algren's role as a critic and Algren shares his opinions of other writers and who were and were not risk takers. The conversation turns to the description of the presentation of Algren's work on stage and on screen and the 1800's style in which his material was presented. The conversation closes with some mentions of Algren's experience with teaching and his next project.
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Publisher
SUNY Brockport