Dutch’s Introduction to Detroit: The Renaissance City by Balthazar Korab
The first in a series of posts showcasing Elmore Leonard’s skill as a non-fiction writer.
In a previous post, I railed about some of Dutch’s fiction which should have been excluded from his canon, but over several posts I’ll turn to his excellent non-fiction—quality published pieces that could fill a volume I once planned. In the introduction to Detroit: The Renaissance City by Balthazar Korab, written in 1985 for his good friend, Dutch writes a thoughtful Detroit history. As his researcher, I spent many joyful hours at the Burton Collection at the Detroit Public Library digging through records and studying documents about the city’s origins. It was the kind of assignment I like best.
Dutch’s introduction is both a personal reflection on his 50 years living in and around Detroit and a brisk cultural-historical tour of the city. He weaves in observations from his novels—characters reacting to the Renaissance Center, the glassy symbol of urban renewal, as Dutch contrasts Chamber of Commerce views of downtown with the grittier reality of Detroit’s mean streets.
He traces Detroit’s evolution from a French frontier fort to an industrial powerhouse built by waves of immigrants, fueled by the explosive rise of the auto industry and Henry Ford’s $5-a-day wage. Dutch recounts its union battles, the population boom to nearly two million, and the later suburban exodus that reshaped the city’s demographics.
He captures Detroit’s enduring identity as a tough, blue-collar town known for its music, sports, ethnic enclaves, and frontier spirit—“a workingman’s shot-and-a-beer kind of town.” Even as factories modernize and whole neighborhoods vanish, Dutch remains curious about what Detroit’s next chapter will look like, leaving it for his characters—and the city itself—to discover.