Exploding onto the national literary scene in 1950 after winning the first-ever National Book Award for “The Man with the Golden Arm,” Nelson Algren defined post-World War II American urban fiction with his gritty, brilliant depiction of Chicago and its working class.

From Ernest Hemingway to Kurt Vonnegut, Frank Sinatra to Simone de Beauvoir, Algren influenced an entire creative class with his groundbreaking work.

Featuring never-before-seen archival footage, newly uncovered audio recordings and his own rarely seen personal photo collages, ​Algren charts the rise and fall of a man whose transgressions, compassion and thirst for justice pushed him to become a tireless champion of America’s underclass and one of the 20th century’s most consequential literary voices.

Director: Michael Caplan