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Nelson Algren

Born

in Detroit, Michigan, The United States

March 28, 1909

Died

May 09, 1981

Genre

Literary Fiction, Fiction

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People note American writer Nelson Algren for his novels, including The Man with the Golden Arm (1949), about the pride and longings of impoverished people.

Born of Swedish-immigrant parents, Nelson Ahlgren Abraham moved at an early age to Chicago. At University of Illinois, he studied journalism. His experiences as a migrant worker during the Depression provided the material for his first Somebody in Boots (1935). Throughout life, Algren identified with the underdog. From 1936 to 1940, the high-point of left-wing ideas on the literary scene of the United States, he served as editor of the project in Illinois. After putting the finishing touches to his second, he in 1942 joined and enlisted for the war. Never Come Morning recei ...more

Combine Editions
Nelson Algren’s books

Average rating: 3.96 · 9,110 ratings · 1,004 reviews · 70 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Man with the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (Contributor), Studs Terkel (Contributor) 3.86 avg rating — 3,331 ratings — published 1949 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Walk on the Wild Side by Nelson Algren, Russell Banks (Foreword) 3.92 avg rating — 1,643 ratings — published 1956 — 64 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Chicago: City on the Make by Nelson Algren, Studs Terkel (Introduction), David Schmittgens (Editor) 4.15 avg rating — 1,152 ratings — published 1951 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Neon Wilderness by Nelson Algren, Colin Asher (Afterword) 4.17 avg rating — 752 ratings — published 1946 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Never Come Morning by Nelson Algren, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (Introduction) 4.08 avg rating — 670 ratings — published 2002 — 46 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Nonconformity: Writing on Writing by Nelson Algren, Daniel Simon (Editor), C.S. O'Brien (Annotations) 4.07 avg rating — 271 ratings — published 1996 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Somebody in Boots 3.97 avg rating — 153 ratings — published 1935 — 22 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Last Carousel: Fiction and Reportage 4.02 avg rating — 110 ratings — published 1973 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Devil's Stocking by Nelson Algren, Herbert Mitgang (Foreword) 3.65 avg rating — 83 ratings — published 1983 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Texas Stories of Nelson Algren by Nelson Algren, Bettina Drew (Editor) 3.82 avg rating — 77 ratings — published 1995 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Nelson Algren (?)

“Never sleep with someone whose troubles are worse than your own.”
― Nelson Algren, A Walk on the Wild Side

tags: sex, troubles

135 likes

“Chicago is an October sort of city even in spring.”
― Nelson Algren, Chicago: City on the Make

tags: chicago, city, october, spring

99 likes

“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, Chicago: City on the Make

tags: chicago, cities, love, lovely

88 likes

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Polls

What book would you like to read for our February 2026 Group Read? The theme is Gold.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Literary Fiction, Contemporary

25 votes 29.4%

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Classics, Childrens

13 votes 15.3%

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
Historical Fiction

13 votes 15.3%

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Mystery, Young Adult

11 votes 12.9%

The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe
Horror, Classics,

9 votes 10.6%

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Coming of Age, Fiction

7 votes 8.2%

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
Fantasy, Young Adult

3 votes 3.5%

The Man with the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren
Fiction

3 votes 3.5%

Chasing Perfect by Susan Mallery
Romance, Contemporary

1 vote 1.2%

85 total votes

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