O Albany!
Improbable City of Political Wizards, Fearless Ethnics, Spectacular, Aristocrats, Splendid Nobodies, and Underrated Scoundrels
By William Kennedy | Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
About the book
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Ironweed offers an eloquent history of his colorful hometown in this marvelous book that's part journalism and part memoir.
William Kennedy's celebrated cycle of novels has put Albany on the literary map. In O Albany! we visit the city's ethnic and social neighborhoods. We meet uncommon characters who tread on Kennedy's stage—Erastus Corning, America's longest-running mayor (forty-three years in office); the Prohibition celebrity Jack \"Legs\" Diamond; the black matriarch Olivia Rorie, who transformed Albany's slums; Nelson Rockefeller and the \"greatest marble project in the history of the world\"; the political boss Dan O'Connell, who took City Hall in 1921 and never let go, even after he died.
Embellished with fifty-five vintage photographs and eleven maps drawn for this book, O Albany! is a historical lover letter from Kennedy to his native city.
“A nice blend of nostalgia and serious history...You come away from this book's fascinating view of the American experience, the human experience, feeling hopeful.”—The New York Times Book Review
Editions of O Albany!
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780670520879
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780140074161
- EBook
- ISBN 9781101665947
Read an Excerpt
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Ironweed offers an eloquent history of his colorful hometown in this marvelous book that's part journalism and part memoir.
William Kennedy's celebrated cycle of novels has put Albany on the literary map. In O Albany! we visit the city's ethnic and social neighborhoods. We meet uncommon characters who tread on Kennedy's stage—Erastus Corning, America's longest-running mayor (forty-three years in office); the Prohibition celebrity Jack \"Legs\" Diamond; the black matriarch Olivia Rorie, who transformed Albany's slums; Nelson Rockefeller and the \"greatest marble project in the history of the world\"; the political boss Dan O'Connell, who took City Hall in 1921 and never let go, even after he died.
Embellished with fifty-five vintage photographs and eleven maps drawn for this book, O Albany! is a historical lover letter from Kennedy to his native city.
“A nice blend of nostalgia and serious history...You come away from this book's fascinating view of the American experience, the human experience, feeling hopeful.”—The New York Times Book Review
Frequently Asked Questions
What is O Albany! about?
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Ironweed offers an eloquent history of his colorful hometown in this marvelous book that's part journalism and part memoir.
William Kennedy's celebrated cycle of novels has put Albany on the literary map. In O Albany! we visit the city's ethnic and social neighborhoods. We meet uncommon characters who tread on Kennedy's stage—Erastus Corning, America's longest-running mayor (forty-three years in office); the Prohibition celebrity Jack \"Legs\" Diamond; the black matriarch Olivia Rorie, who transformed Albany's slums; Nelson Rockefeller and the \"greatest marble project in the history of the world\"; the political boss Dan O'Connell, who took City Hall in 1921 and never let go, even after he died.
Embellished with fifty-five vintage photographs and eleven maps drawn for this book, O Albany! is a historical lover letter from Kennedy to his native city.
“A nice blend of nostalgia and serious history...You come away from this book's fascinating view of the American experience, the human experience, feeling hopeful.”—The New York Times Book Review
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in O Albany!?
Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Literature: history and criticism
Where can I read a sample of O Albany!?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780670520879
Who is/are the Author/s of the book O Albany!?
William Kennedy
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
O Albany! is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780670520879) and paperback(ISBN 9780140074161) and ebook(ISBN 9781101665947)
Where can I buy O Albany! online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy O Albany! from below
Where can I buy O Albany!?