Studs Terkel

Studs Terkel

The writer, historian, actor and presenter of American nationality, received in 1985 the Pulitzer Prize for his book The War 'good', and will always be remembered for his wonderful oral histories and for having presented for a long time a successful radio program in Chicago. Terkel was part of the Federal Writer's Project of the Works Progress Administration, working on the radio and developing all kinds of activities, from giving voice to operas, broadcasting general and sports news and presenting shows of musical recordings, to writing radio scripts and advertisements. Terkel was hailed for his efforts to preserve American oral history. His book The Good War: An Oral History of World War Two (1985) detailed the events in which ordinary people had been involved during the Second World War. For Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression (1970), Terkel collected experiences of the Great Depression that spanned the entire socioeconomic spectrum, from the Okies (natives of Oklahoma at the time) and the convicts, to the wealthy members of the oligarchy. His work Working (1974), dedicated to people and their work, was the origin of a short career show represented on the Broadway circuit in 1978 and broadcast on television in 1982 by the Public Broadcasting Service.