First Lines

I am an American, Chicago born - Chicago, that somber city- and go at things as I have taught myself, free-style, and will make the record in my own way: first to knock, first admitted; sometimes an innocent knock, sometimes a not so innocent. - Saul Bellow, The Adventures of Augie March (1953)

For those of you who haven't read it, Augie March is a great book- some say Bellow's best- and it's full of rollicking energy and a sense of possibility infuses the language. It paints a memorable picture of Chicago, and even wanders down to Mexico, but the real wonder of the book is the protagonist, Augie. I highly recommend it.

-Ben