Historic Highlights: Blei was foremost Illinois writer of late 20th century

Among the foremost Illinois writers of the late 20th century was Norbert Blei, credited with 17 books and countless articles and short stories.

Blei is best known for his so-called “Chicago Trilogy,” which the Chicago Tribune declared “ranks with the best ever published about Chicago.” Much of his work was produced at his adopted home of Door County, Wisconsin, where he worked from a former chicken coop that he converted into a writing office.

An only child, Blei was born on Aug. 23, 1935, in Little Village, an ethnic neighborhood on the west side of Chicago composed largely of Czechoslovakian descent. Blei later moved with his parents to Cicero.

Blei graduated with a degree in English from Illinois State University in 1956, one of many ISU graduates who have excelled in various literary genres.

He put his training to good use, landing a job as an English teacher at Lyons Township High School near Chicago. Blei then worked for the now-defunct City News Bureau of Chicago as a reporter.

Along the way, Blei carved a successful career as a freelance writer of nonfiction. However, as one source noted, as the 1960s progressed, the “local magazines that were a welcoming home to his stories began to vanish.”

In 1968, Blei made a decision that changed his life. He moved his family north to Door County, Wisconsin, a vacation hotspot on a peninsula of Lake Michigan just off Green Bay. There, Blei found contentment among the unique culture of the locals and the natural splendor of the area.

Blei spent most of the rest of his life in Door County. In 1976, he renovated an old chicken coop on his property into a workspace, home to some of his greatest works. Blei’s daily life consisted of hours inside the old coop, as well as visits with the locals at coffee shops and stores.

However, Blei did not limit his talents only to the laid-back daily life of Door County. He produced what has been called his “Chicago Trilogy,” with “Neighborhood,” “Chi Town” and “The Ghost of Sandburg’s Phizzog.”

The Chicago Tribune also labeled Blei’s narratives as “gritty, urban and urbane” and “filled with humanity and lively characters.” Those words may have described Blei himself.

Steve Grutzmacher of the Peninsula Pulse in Door County wrote that Blei was “full of contradictions and moods. He built and burned bridges with a rapidity that could be staggering.” The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel called him a “classic cranky curmudgeon.” Although he was a frequent contributor to the newspapers of Door County, he also was prone to feud with those same publications.

But beneath his gruff exterior was a man who generously gave his time and thoughts to mentoring young writers. Many of his peers raved about the impact that Blei had on their lives and careers. In 1994, he founded Cross+Roads Press, which provided an outlet for beginning writers.

For over three decades, Blei was a writer-in-residence at The Clearing Folk School, which had been founded in 1935 by noted landscape architect Jens Jensen. Blei’s seminars attracted writers from around the nation.

Blei also was a skilled artist in watercolor. After a trip to Berlin in the early 1980s, he produced a series of paintings on the Berlin Wall that were exhibited in various locales across the nation.

But Blei’s greatest fame came in his writing. “I am a storyteller,” he said of himself. “I am called to the page.” Blei also said, “You write to find out about yourself. If you’re in areas where you’re not finding out about yourself, it’s futile. You’re wasting your time.”

Blei’s many credits include the New Yorker, Chicago Magazine, Tri-Quarterly, the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. He was a frequent contributor to Wisconsin Public Radio.

Following a two-year battle with cancer, Norbert Blei died April 23, 2013, ending the life of a man with unparalleled creativity.

• Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Illinois. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.