Illinois State Library

AUTHORS ON THE ILLINOIS STATE LIBRARY

The Illinois State Library was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst, and White to harmonize with the other buildings in Springfield’s Capitol Complex. The exterior features Indiana limestone set over a base of granite highlighted by a frieze etched with the names of 35 of Illinois’ most distinguished authors. These 35 authors were either born in Illinois or spent a significant portion of their careers in Illinois.

One of the major features of the Illinois State Library is the recognition of 35 authors whose names are etched into the building’s fourth-floor frieze. The inscriptions recognize both living and deceased authors who are either Illinois natives or whose works are closely identified with the Prairie State.

The writers reflect the rich diversity of Illinois literature, ranging from Edna Ferber and Ernest Hemingway to Studs Terkel and Gwendolyn Brooks. They include poets, such as Edgar Lee Masters; former newspaper reporters, such as Ben Hecht; contemporary writers, such as Saul Bellow; a Sauk Indian, Black Hawk; and a United States President, Abraham Lincoln.

There are those who brought social change, such as Jane Addams, whose book Twenty Years at Hull House, describes her life as founder of the Chicago-based social agency that was one of the first in the nation to care for the indigent. There is Robinson native James Jones, whose novels From Here to Eternity and other novels describe the lives of World War II GIs in the South Pacific. There is former newsman Ben Hecht’s hilarious book, The Front Page, that describes the halcyon days of Chicago journalism in the 1920s.

There is the futurist science-fiction works of Waukegan’s Ray Bradbury and the "big shoulder" of Galesburg’s Carl Sandburg.

Regardless of the type of writing each engaged, they all have a place in American literature and Illinois history.