Royko, Michael

▪ 1998

      American journalist (b. Sept. 19, 1932, Chicago, Ill.—d. April 29, 1997, Chicago), was the sometimes irreverent, sometimes cantankerous or controversial, sometimes funny or satiric, and sometimes poignant—but always interesting—champion of the "little guy" in columns published in Chicago's major newspapers and syndicated to hundreds of others. Five days a week for most of his 30-plus years as a columnist, he fearlessly expounded on the issues of the day and came to the rescue of the downtrodden, occasionally using the voice of his working-class alter ego Slats Grobnik or "expert" psychiatrist Dr. I.M. Kookie. In 1972 his efforts won him a Pulitzer Prize. In later years what were perceived as slurs against minority groups gave rise to several protests, but Royko, though unhappy that his satire was not being understood as such, did not change his style. He grew up over his father's tavern, a vantage point that helped form his view of life in Chicago. He cut short his college education to join the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War and eventually fibbed his way into a job on the base's newspaper, where he appropriated space for his own column. Upon Royko's return to civilian life, he became (1956) a reporter for the Lincoln-Belmont Booster and then (1956-59) worked at the City News Bureau. In 1959 he started at the Chicago Daily News, and in 1964 he became a full-time columnist. Royko's favourite targets included corrupt officials, bigots, and politicians misusing their power. He did not hesitate to take on Chicago's mayor at the time, Richard J. Daley, and Royko's best-selling book Boss (1971) was an especially thorough look at the Daley political machine. With the closing down (1978) of the Daily News, Royko moved to the Chicago Sun-Times. It was for that paper that he wrote perhaps the most memorable and moving of his columns, about the death (1979) of his first wife, Carol, with whom he had fallen in love when he was nine years old. When Rupert Murdoch's conglomerate bought (1984) the Sun-Times, Royko moved to the Chicago Tribune, where he remained for the rest of his career.

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