Ben Hecht on the Jazz Age

Abstract

Ben Hecht (1894-1964) was a reporter and literary author in Chicago from 1914-1924. Chicago was a site of origin of jazz, and Hecht described songs, groups, and places that were prominent there during the “jazz age” of the 1920s. His musical training contributed to many accurate observations about early jazz. However, his intellectual stance and cynical tone rejected this form of popular culture. From a literary standpoint, Hecht described the decadence of the twenties. His style was influenced by aesthetic writers and characterized by the use of slang and clever phrases. While he was not considered to be a major fiction writer, he had a significant influence as part of the Chicago “literary renaissance.”