Saul Bellow was born June 10th, 1915, in Lachine, Quebec, Canada, the son of Jewish immigrants from St. Petersburg, Russia. His family later moved to Chicago, the site of many of his future works. Bellow was the product of a diverse cultural heritage, and was educated in English, French, and Yiddish linguistics, although it is Yiddish that is thought to have been the greatest influence on his writing. Bellow studied anthropology and sociology at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University, and although he went on to pursue a doctorate at the University of Wisconsin, he eventually dropped out. He has taught at the University of Minnesota, Princeton University, the University of… Chicago, New York University, and Boston University. Bellow is one of the most highly recognized and acclaimed Jewish American writers. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship which enabled him to live in Paris while completing much of The Adventures of Augie March (1953). In addition to the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for Humboldt's Gift, Bellow won the 1976 Nobel Prize in Literature for his understanding and analysis of contemporary culture. He received three National Book Awards. Included among his works are Seize the Day (1956), Henderson the Rain King (1959), Herzog (1964), Mr. Sammler's Planet (1970), To Jerusalem and Back (1976), Him With His Foot in His Mouth and Other Stories (1984), More Die of Heartbreak (1987), and Something to Remember Me By (1990).
Stanley Crouch is a contributing editor toThe New Republic,a Sunday columnist for the New YorkDaily News,and a frequent panelist onThe Charlie Rose Show.He is the author ofThe All-American Skin Game(which was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award) andNotes of a Hanging Judge.For years a jazz critic and staff writer for theVillage Voice,he is Artistic Consultant to Jazz at Lincoln Center. He lives in New York City. From the Hardcover edition.