Ramsey County History – Fall 2019: “Three Jewish Writers”

Three Jewish Writers
Authors: Steve Trimble and Paul Nelson

What do three men who grew up in St. Paul’s predominately Jewish neighborhoods in the first half of the twentieth century have in common? Quite a bit, actually. Authors Steve Trimble and Paul Nelson highlight the lives of Max Shulman, Norman Katkov, and William Hoffman. All studied journalism at the University of Minnesota. All served stateside in the US military, and all worked as writers. Katkov and Shulman made it “big” as authors before writing for television and film in Hollywood. Hoffman remained in St. Paul as a social worker, penning nostalgic newspaper columns (and a few books) related to his beloved childhood. Sadly, much of their literary work has been forgotten. Trimble and Nelson reintroduce the legacies of these writers while highlighting the city’s rich and varied Jewish history.

PDF of S. Trimble and P. Nelson article