Saul Bellow
From Illinois Authors
Contents |
General Information
(Born Solomon Bellows, nicknamed 'Sollie')
Genre: Fiction
Born: June 10, 1915 in Lachine, Quebec, Canada
Died: April 5, 2005 in Brookline, Massachusetts (age 89)
Photo Credit: The University of Chicago
Celebrated on the Gwendolyn Brooks Building
"I myself am a wide reader, a consumer of many books. I grew up that way." -Saul Bellow
Illinois Connection
Saul Bellow was 9 years old when his family moved from Canada to Chicago. He continued to live in Chicago until his death. He was a long-time faculty member at the University of Chicago.
Biographical and Professional Information
Saul Bellow is the dean of contemporary Illinois writers and one of the major 20th century American writers. He was the first novelist to win three National Book Awards. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1975 for Humboldt's Gift, and the Nobel Prize for literature in 1976. Bellow was a novelist, short story writer, essayist, dramatist, editor and translator.
A long-time faculty member at the University of Chicago, his novels combine a serious concern for ideas with a keen, often comic, mastery of the details of contemporary American life, including street life. Among his novels set either wholly or partially in Chicago are: Dangling Man (1944), The Adventure of Augie March (1953), Herzog (1964), Humboldt's Gift (1975), The Dean's December (1982), and The Actual (1997).
Published Works
- Dangling Man, Vanguard, 1944
- The Victim, Vanguard, 1947
- The Adventures of Augie March, Viking, 1953
- Seize the Day, Viking, 1956
- Henderson the Rain King, Viking, 1959
- Herzog, Viking, 1964
- Mosby's Memoirs, and Other Stories, Fawcett, 1968
- Mr. Sammler`s Planet, Viking, 1970
- Humboldt`s Gift, Viking, 1975
- The Dean`s December, Harper, 1982
- Him With His Foot In His Mouth, and Other Stories, Harper & Row, 1984
- More Die of Heartbreak, Morrow, 1987
- A Theft, Penguin, 1989
- The Bellarosa Connection, Penguin, 1989
- Something To Remember Me By: Three Tales, Signet, 1991
- The Actual, Viking, 1997
- Ravelstein, High Bridge Company, 2000
- Collected Stories, Viking, 2001
Titles for Purchase and at Your Library
 | Dangling Man (Penguin Classics)ISBN: 0143039873 Release Date: 2006-09-26 |
 | Victim (Penguin Modern Classics)ISBN: 0141188839 Release Date: 2008-01-31 |
 | The Adventures of Augie MarchISBN: 0786186593 Release Date: 2008-01-01 |
 | Seize the Day (Penguin Modern Classics)ISBN: 014118485X Release Date: 2001-04-26 |
 | Henderson the Rain King (Penguin Modern Classics)ISBN: 0141188804 Release Date: 2008-03-01 |
 | HerzogISBN: 0786162902 Release Date: 2006-10 |
 | Mosby's Memoirs and Other Stories (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin)ISBN: 0140189459 Release Date: 1996-06-01 |
 | Saul Bellow: Novels 1956-1964: Seize the Day, Henderson the Rain King, Herzog (Library of America)ISBN: 159853002X Release Date: 2007-01-11 |
 | Mr. Sammler's PlanetISBN: 0786162589 Release Date: 2008-01-01 |
 | Humboldt's GiftISBN: 0786162554 Release Date: 2008-01-01 |
 | The Dean's December (Penguin Modern Classics)ISBN: 0141188863 Release Date: 2008-01-31 |
 | Him With His Foot In His Mouth and Other Stories (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin)ISBN: 0141180234 Release Date: 1998-05-01 |
 | More Die of Heartbreak (Penguin Classics)ISBN: 0142437743 Release Date: 2004-08-31 |
A TheftISBN: 043603963X Release Date: 1989-06-05 |
 | The Bellarosa ConnectionISBN: 0436199882 Release Date: 1990-01-15 |
Something to Remember Me by: Three TalesISBN: 0436201178 Release Date: 1992-11-09 |
 | Actual (Penguin Modern Classics)ISBN: 0141188847 Release Date: 2008-01-31 |
 | Ravelstein (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century)ISBN: 0141001763 Release Date: 2001-05-01 |
 | Collected StoriesISBN: 0142001643 Release Date: 2002-10-29 |
Literary Awards
- Bellow was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1976.
- In 1954, he was the National Book Award Winner in Fiction for The Adventures of Augie March.
- In 1957, he was a National Book Award Finalist in Fiction for Seize the Day.
- In 1960, he was a National Book Award Finalist in Fiction for Henderson the Rain King.
- In 1965, he won the National Book Award in Fiction for Herzog.
- In 1965, Mr. Bellow was awarded the International Literary Prize for Herzog, becoming the first American to receive the prize.
- In January 1968, the Republic of France awarded him the Croix de Chevalier des Arts et Lettres, the highest literary distinction awarded by that nation to non-citizens.
- In March 1968, he received the B'nai B'rith Jewish Heritage Award for "excellence in Jewish literature".
- In 1971, he was the National Book Award Winner in Fiction for Mr. Sammler's Planet
- In 1976, he was a National Book Award Finalist in Fiction for Humboldt's Gift
- In November 1976, he was awarded the America's Democratic Legacy Award of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, the first time this award has been made to a literary personage.
- In 1990, his name was engraved on the frieze of the Illinois State Library alongside other great Illinois literary figures.
- In 2010 Mr. Bellow was inducted into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame.
External Links
Website: Saul Bellow Society
Website: Wikipedia entry for Saul Bellow
Website: Nobel Prize in Literature
Editing
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