Always Has Been: Chapter 1: Carl Sandburg's Influential Letter to Nelson Algren

In 1933, American author Carl Sandburg sent a pivotal letter to Nelson Algren, a young Midwestern writer, urging him to portray the socio-economic struggles of America. This encouragement had a profound impact, inspiring Algren to focus on the lives of the marginalized. His subsequent works received critical acclaim and helped shift American literature towards social realism, highlighting themes of social justice and empathy. Sandburg's correspondence sparked wider recognition of class struggles in literature.