This book addresses critical gaps in existing biographies of Nelson Algren, providing new perspectives on his writing style, literary contributions, professional colleagues, and personal life—especially his relationship with Simone de Beauvoir. Although Beauvoir maintained a simultaneous relationship with philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, the correspondence exchanged between Beauvoir, Algren, and Sartre, as this book discusses, sheds new light on her "transatlantic love affair" with Algren.
Moreover, this work challenges the assertion that Algren's writing aligns seamlessly with the "New Journalism" style popularized by Tom Wolfe. It investigates how Algren's literary legacy might have diverged had he embraced more of the principles associated with New Journalism.