One of Chicago's great authors has died, Saul Bellow. He had a way with words. The following was reported in the Chicago Tribune about a description he gave of Chicago in a 1977 speech:

"What Chicago gave to the world was goods--a standard of living sufficient for millions. Bread, bacon, overalls, gas ranges, radio sets, telephone directories, false teeth, light bulbs, tractors, steel rails, gasoline. I asked a German-Jewish refugee, just arrived, to tell me quickly, without thinking, his opinion of the city. What had impressed him most of Chicago? He said at once, Stop and Shop--the great food store on Washington Street, with its mountains of cheese, its vats of coffee, its ramparts of canned goods, curtains of sausage, stacks of steaks."

I will miss him.

Saul Bellow was given that rare acolade - an obituary in The Times which covered more than a page. Prince Rainier's obituary, in the same issue, covered more space but this was only because of the extra picure coveage.

Ironically, although Bellow loved Chicago, he lived the last ten years of his life elsewhere because of his disillusionment with some aspects of Chicago's politics.

Ironically, although Bellow loved Chicago, he lived the last ten years of his life elsewhere because of his disillusionment with some aspects of Chicago's politics.

And, he originally moved to Chicago after becoming disillusioned with some aspects of New York literary scene, especially Norman Mailer and Company.

And in keeping with sentences without main verbs, he entitled one of his collections of short stories: Him with His Foot in His Mouth. Of course, I'm not saying that titles have to be complete sentences, and, in fact, they rarely are.

It's good to know that he was written about in the London Times.

quote:

Ironically, although Bellow loved Chicago, he lived the last ten years of his life elsewhere because of his disillusionment with some aspects of Chicago's politics.

Here's another quote of his, after his disillusionment of Chicago:

"It's a miracle that Chicago should have any writers at all, that the city has bred so many articulate people. The general feeling is that a writer doesn't amount to very much, that he's not an important person." Too bad he didn't see see the great article the Chicago Tribune wrote about him!

I read an article in the newspaper today that says while Bellow was a Nobel Prise winner and a best-selling author in the 60s and 70s, few college and high school courses read his works. This quote from an English Professor at the University of North Carolina really irritated me, though. I think her students suffer because of her attitude:

"I'd say in a general way that most post-World War II literature by American white men strikes me as incredibly whiny. It's trivial and narrowly focused, and they go on and on about how it's the end of Western Civilization because they can't get women to pick up their socks anymore."

Actually hers is one of the most whiny, trivial and narrowly-focussed remarks I have ever read!

I agree, Richard. She even went on to say that she can at least understand the whining of Jewish men because of everything the Jews have been through (how patronizing!), but that non-Jewish white men are the problem. I couldn't believe her prejudice!

Yet, she is teaching our college students!

And what does her wife think?

And what did Saul bellow? Did he think Morely safer, or did Dan rather fry Quentin crisp? And did Walter Cronkite have an affair many years ago with a female reporter? Was Barbara Walter's?