Henry Blake Fuller

1857-1929

Chicago born, Henry Blake Fuller, was an acclaimed American novelist and short story writer, celebrated as one of the earliest novelists from Chicago to gain national recognition. His exploration of urban life in his works was seen as revelatory. The jewel of Fuller's literary career was "The Cliff-Dwellers" (1893), a groundbreaking novel depicting life among Chicago's skyscrapers.

While not as popular at the time of it's publication, Fuller's novel Bertram Cope’s Year (1919) is one of the earliest American novels to explore homosexuality, featuring a subtle and controversial portrayal of relationships among men, which puzzled critics at the time but received praise upon its republication in 1998. "Bertram Cope's Year" (1919), subtly explored homosexual themes, featuring a young English instructor at Northwestern University and his emotional attachment to his college friend, Arthur Lemoyne. This novel, ahead of its time, received mixed reviews but was later celebrated for its satirical brilliance.

He was a Founding member of the Eagle's Nest Art Colony in Illinois in 1898 and was active in fostering the arts, and he also wrote art criticism for the New York Evening Post, contributing to the broader cultural dialogue.

Fuller's contributions to gay literature were posthumously recognized with his induction into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 2000. He was also honored by the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame in 2017, which established the "Fuller Award" to celebrate lifetime contributions to literature. His works, including "The Cliff-Dwellers" and "Bertram Cope's Year," remain significant in American literary history.

He died while living in a boarding house in Hyde Park located at 5411 S. Harper in 1929 . He is buried in Oak Woods Cemetery alongside his family.