1001 Afternoons in Chicago (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. 1920s Urban Newspaper Sketches of Street Life, Vice, Ambition, and Modern American City SpectacleBy Ben Hecht
Length9h 51m
About this audiobook
1001 Afternoons in Chicago gathers Ben Hecht's celebrated newspaper sketches from the Chicago Daily News, transforming urban journalism into a modernist mosaic of street life, vice, ambition, loneliness, and theatrical human incident. Written in vivid, compressed prose, the pieces blend reportage, prose poetry, and short fiction, capturing Chicago as both a real metropolis and a symbolic stage of twentieth-century modernity. Its literary context lies between American realism, urban naturalism, and the emerging vernacular energies of Jazz Age writing. Ben Hecht, later famed as a Hollywood screenwriter and co-author of The Front Page, began as a Chicago newspaperman, and this book reflects his immersion in the city's courts, saloons, offices, alleys, and immigrant neighborhoods. His journalistic training sharpened his eye for character and dialogue, while his literary ambitions pushed him beyond mere reporting toward irony, lyricism, and moral observation. This volume is recommended for readers interested in urban literature, newspaper writing, and the origins of modern American prose style. It offers not only a portrait of Chicago, but also a brilliant study of city life as spectacle, tragedy, and comedy.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
Audiobook details
GenreLiterary Classics
Length9 hrs 51 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 5, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
26NOTES FOR A TRAGEDY
2Introduction
27CORAL, AMBER AND JADE
3Author Biography
28MEDITATION IN E MINOR
4Historical Context
29TEN-CENT WEDDING RINGS
5Synopsis (Selection)
30WHERE THE "BLUES" SOUND
Show all chaptersShow less
6FANNY
31VAGABONDIA
7THE AUCTIONEER'S WIFE
32NIRVANA
8FOG PATTERNS
33THE INDESTRUCTIBLE MASTERPIECE
9DON QUIXOTE AND HIS LAST WINDMILL
34MRS. SARDOTOPOLIS' EVENING OFF
10THE MAN HUNT
35THE GREAT TRAVELER
11MR. WINKELBERG
36THUMBS UP AND DOWN
12A SELF-MADE MAN
37ORNAMENTS
13TO BERT WILLIAMS
38THE WATCH FIXER
14MICHIGAN AVENUE
39SCHOPENHAUER'S SON
15COEUR DE LION AND THE SOUP AND FISH
40WORLD CONQUERORS
16THE SYBARITE
41THE MAN FROM YESTERDAY
17DAPPER PETE AND THE SUCKER PLAY
42THUMBNAIL LOTHARIOS
18WATERFRONT FANCIES
43THE SOUL OF SING LEE
19THE SNOB
44MRS. RODJEZKE'S LAST JOB
20THE WAY HOME
45QUEEN BESS' FEAST
21THE PIG
46LETTERS
22THE LITTLE FOP
47THE MOTHER
23MOTTKA
48CLOCKS AND OWL CARS
24"FA'N TA MIG!"
49CONFESSIONS
25FANTASTIC LOLLYPOPS
50AN IOWA HUMORESQUE
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