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Studs Terkel

スタッズ・タークル（ルイス・タークル）

Studs Terkel

Pen Names: Studs Terkel（Pen name/commonly used name in radio and publications）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1912-05-16 （New York City, New York, U.S.）
Died
2008-10-31 （Chicago, Illinois, U.S.） age 96
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Agnostic (self-described)
Residence History
New York City (birth) → Chicago (primary residence and career)

Career

Occupations
Author, Historian (oral history), Radio personality, Actor
Active Years
1934-2008
Affiliations
Chicago History Museum, WFMT (Chicago radio station)
Memberships
The American Academy of Arts and Letters
Influenced By
James T. Farrell (author of Studs Lonigan), Richard Durham (radio writer and collaborator)
Influenced
Oral historians and interviewers, Radio hosts and public-interest broadcasters

Education

University of Chicago
Undergraduate studies
Degree: PhB
Period: 1928–1932
Year of Graduation: 1932
Country: United States
Completed undergraduate degree; later earned a J.D.
University of Chicago (Law School)
Law / Law
Degree: J.D.
Period: 1932–1934
Year of Graduation: 1934
Country: United States
Admitted to Illinois Bar in 1935 but chose theater and radio over practicing law

Awards

Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction
1985
Work: The Good War
Organization: Pulitzer Prize committee
Result: 受賞
National Humanities Medal
1997
Organization: U.S. government / National Humanities Council
Result: 受賞
Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters
1997
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: 受賞
George Polk Career Award
1999
Organization: Long Island University (George Polk Awards)
Result: 受賞
Dayton Literary Peace Prize (Lifetime Achievement Award)
2006
Organization: Dayton Literary Peace Prize
Result: 受賞
Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award
2003
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Good War

1984 Non-fiction (oral history)

An oral history compiling accounts from ordinary people and veterans about World War II, presenting varied perspectives on wartime experience and memory.

WarMemoryOrdinary people's perspective

Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression

1970 Non-fiction (oral history)

An oral history reconstructing life during the Great Depression through testimonies from people across social strata.

EconomyPovertyWork

Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do

1974 Non-fiction (oral history / work studies)

Collects candid interviews with people in many occupations about their work and feelings toward it. Adapted for Broadway.

WorkOccupational identityEveryday life
Adaptations
  • [Theatre] Working (stage adaptation) (1978)
  • [Television (broadcast)] PBS telecast of Working (1982)

Giants of Jazz

1957 Non-fiction (music)

An early work containing interviews and records of prominent jazz musicians.

MusicJazzProfiles

Bibliography

  • Giants of Jazz (1957)
  • Division Street: America (1967)
  • Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression (1970)
  • Talking to Myself: A Memoir of My Times (1973)
  • Working (1974)
  • The Good War (1984)
  • Chicago (1986)
  • American Dreams: Lost and Found (1983)
  • Touch and Go (2007)
  • P.S. Further Thoughts from a Lifetime of Listening (2008)

Adaptations

  • Stage adaptation of Working (1978) and PBS telecast (1982)
  • Appeared in the film Eight Men Out (role: Hugh Fullerton)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Oral history (interview-centric) formatNarrative built from collected conversations and testimonies
Recurring Motifs
Work and occupationsWar and memoryVoices of ordinary people

Health

  • Open-heart surgery (2005)
    2005
    Major surgery at an advanced age; doctors reported remarkable recovery. He had smoked two cigars daily until about 2004.
  • Fall leading to decline (2008)
    2008
    Suffered a fall at home in October 2008, followed by health decline and death on October 31, 2008.

Legacy

Studs Terkel made significant contributions to the preservation and popularization of oral history. Through his long-running radio program and extensive interviews he recorded diverse voices of the late 20th century; his archive is preserved by the Chicago History Museum, Library of Congress and WFMT.

Museums

  • Chicago History Museum (holds parts of the Studs Terkel Radio Archive) Chicago, Illinois, United States

Academic Societies

  • The American Academy of Arts and Letters
  • Chicago Literary Hall of Fame

Archives

  • Studs Terkel Radio Archive (jointly preserved by Chicago History Museum, Library of Congress and WFMT)

In Popular Culture

  • Stage adaptation of Working (Broadway) and PBS telecast
  • Influenced later documentaries, podcasts and radio programmes via his archive and appearances

Quotes

  • Having been blacklisted from working in television during the McCarthy era, I know the harm of government using private corporations to intrude into the lives of innocent Americans. When the government uses the telephone companies to create massive databases of all our phone calls it has gone too far.
    Source: Comment in context of lawsuit challenging AT&T sharing records with NSA (2006) (2006)

Trivia

  • The nickname 'Studs' came from the fictional character Studs Lonigan to distinguish him from another Louis while in a play.
  • Donated his radio program recordings; the Studs Terkel Radio Archive is preserved by the Chicago History Museum, Library of Congress and WFMT.
  • Reportedly smoked two cigars a day until about 2004.
  • Hosted a long-running radio program in Chicago from 1952 to 1997.