Saul Bellow Dies at 89

By Rachelle Bowden in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 6, 2005 12:06PM

Saul Bellow, the Nobel laureate whose life and characters were deeply associated with Chicago has died at the age of 89. Bellows won many awards - the National Book Award 3 times, even. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for a book called Humboldt's Gift, which reflected on the challenges of European immigrant life in Humboldt Park. That same year he won the Nobel Prize in literature.

When he was just 9 years old, Bellow's family moved to Chicago. He studied at the University of Chicago for 2 years and then transferred and got his undergrad at Northwestern. He went on to teach at the University of Chicago and in 1993 stunned a lot of people by leaving his beloved city to teach at Boston University. Not only a good author, Bellow was the most acclaimed of the generation of Jewish writers who emerged after WWII.

Bellow's 5th wife and his daughter were at his side when he died at his Brookline, Mass home. He also has 3 grown sons, but get this. . his daughter is only 5.. she was born when Bellow was 84 years old. High fives to the old guy who was still banging a gong and getting it on.

Also, read Bellow's 1998 book The Dean's December for free.

Image via Reuters