"Presentation to Nelson Algren of The Award of Merit of the Academy" is an address given at the American Academy of Arts and Letters upon conferring the award to Algren in 1975. It was included in the Proceedings of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, 1975. Vonnegut telephoned Algren at his then-home in Chicago, imploring him to attend the award ceremony in New York City with all expenses paid. Algren demurred, saying he had "to speak at a ladies' garden club that day" in Waukegan.[1] Although granting him this award, the Academy did not make Algren a member until a few weeks before his death.[2]
Summary[]
Nelson Algren, 1956
Vonnegut calls Algren an "American Moses of sorts" for producing three new commandments—"Thou shalt not eat at a place called Mom's; Thou shalt not gamble with a man named Doc; Thou shalt not go to bed with anyone who hath more troubles than you"—which he undoubtedly learned through life experience, mostly in his hometown of Chicago. His work examines the American lower class and how often they "behave foolishly" with what little money they have. Nonetheless, he imbues such characters with "raffish auras of holiness" that make readers give them respect and love as the Academy now gives to Algren. Himself in the spiritual mold of Anton Chekhov, Algren now "has many American literary descendants" of his own who write unsentimentally "about the queerly beautiful lives" of the losers in society. Given all the advice he has provided, Vonnegut now advises Algren to "[p]lease keep writing, and never draw to an inside straight".[3]
- ↑ "Presentation to Sam Shepard of the Gold Medal for Drama", Proceedings of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, 1992, 2nd series, no. 43, pp. 53-54.
- ↑ "Introduction in Never Come Morning", Fates Worse Than Death, pp. 57-58.
- ↑ "Presentation to Nelson Algren of The Award of Merit of the Academy", Proceedings of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, 1975, 2nd series, no. 25, pp. 24-25.