Paul Edward Herr (1920-1980) was a Midwestern writer whose style was often compared to that of Albert Camus. His first novel, Journey Not to End, was heralded as a literary triumph in 1961, and was translated into many languages following its release. During his years in Chicago in the 1950s and early '60s, Herr was part of a talented circle of writers which included Nelson Algren, Saul Bellow, and Studs Terkel, among others. He was also a frequent correspondent with German/American political theorist Hannah Arendt during that time. While pursuing his career as a writer, Herr worked in advertising and was a freelance editor. He also taught English literature at the University of Southern California and the University of Indiana for several years, specializing in James Joyce and other modernists. His second novel, The Amnesiacs, was never published, although chapters from it were published in The Chicago Review and other literary magazines. Paul Herr was the father of three children, two of whom are writers, including Natalia Rachel Singer, author of Scraping by in the Big Eighties, and Mira Bartok, author of The Memory Palace. Paul Herr died in New Orleans in 1980.
