Publication
Penguin Classics (2006), Edition: Deluxe, 656 pages
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Description
The second revision in sixty years, this sublime collection ranges over the verse, stories, essays, and journalism of one of the twentieth century's most quotable authors. There are some stories new to the Portable, "Such a Pretty Little Picture," along with a selection of articles written for such disparate publications as Vogue, McCall's, House and Garden, and New Masses. At the heart of her serious work lies her political writings ? racial, labor, international ? and so "Soldiers of the Republic" is joined by reprints of "Not Enough" and "Sophisticated Poetry ? And the Hell With It," both of which first appeared in New Masses. "A Dorothy Parker Sampler" blends the sublime and the silly with the terrifying, a sort of tasting menu of verse, stories, essays, political journalism, a speech on writing, plus a catchy off-the-cuff rhyme she never thought to write down. "Self-Portrait" reprints an interview she did in 1956 with the Paris Review, part of a famed ongoing series of conversations ("Writers at Work") that the literary journal conducted with the best of twentieth-century writers. What makes the interviews so interesting is that they were permitted to edit their transcripts before publication, resulting in miniature autobiographies. "Letters: 1905-1962," which might be subtitled "Mrs. Parker Completely Uncensored," presents correspondence written over the period of a half century, beginning in 1905 when twelve-year-old Dottie wrote her father during a summer vacation on Long Island, and concluding with a 1962 missive from Hollywood describing her fondness for Marilyn Monroe.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member ijustgetbored
Parker's poems are short, sparse, and witty; I can hardly ever sit down with this book and not feel compelled to read a particulary memorable gem aloud. Her short stories reveal surprising depth, and her "Constant Reader" reviews (especially the AA Milne ones!) are a real riot. I've found that it's
No subject is sacred when it comes to being a target of Parker's poetic wit. Her gems are enjoyable, and you'll find yourself quoting them at every opportunity. Her short stories reveal a different side of her-- a more meditative, melancholy mood. Together, in the anthology, they harmonzie and balance each other perfectly. Recommended.
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an excellent bedside companion. No subject is sacred when it comes to being a target of Parker's poetic wit. Her gems are enjoyable, and you'll find yourself quoting them at every opportunity. Her short stories reveal a different side of her-- a more meditative, melancholy mood. Together, in the anthology, they harmonzie and balance each other perfectly. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member bookworm12
This collection holds so many gems from Parker. It has her acidic poetry, her tragic short stories, letters to family and friends, book reviews and more. I loved reading it and felt like I got a chance to read a bit from all of her different mediums of writing. She had a great talent for blending
I would recommend reading only a few things at a time and not trying to read it all in a week or something. Parker is best in small doses if you want to truly appreciate her wit. Otherwise you get used to her voice and forget how unique it really was for a woman from that time period.
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humor and real moral points together without hitting you over the head with it. I would recommend reading only a few things at a time and not trying to read it all in a week or something. Parker is best in small doses if you want to truly appreciate her wit. Otherwise you get used to her voice and forget how unique it really was for a woman from that time period.
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LibraryThing member Kayla-Marie
Most of the books she reviewed in this collection I've never heard of, so I didn't do much more than skim a couple. And I thought her short stories were nothing special and I ended up forgetting most of them a couple days after I'd read them. However, her poems are some of the best I've ever read
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and they're all right there at your fingertips in this volume, and I think that that makes this book worthy of four stars. Show Less
LibraryThing member kaulsu
How many times have I seen bon mots attributed to Dorothy Parker? I thought I'd enjoy reading more of what she had written. Evidently, she was quite the wit in her day.
Turns out anything she wrote that was witty, I had already read!
I enjoyed a few of her short stories, especially the ones that were
In a few of the reviews she wrote I think I saw the hint of what made her current "back in the day." Unfortunately, humor doesn't always wear well. Her "letters" were dreadfully boring....not understanding fully the intended audience nor to what she was alluding. Evidently her son suffered from Tuberculosis. The scourge of her day, and becoming one in ours, too.
All in all, it is one of those books where I can say, "I'm glad I read it," but am happy to never need to read it again. A good book to put in the guest room bookcase....
Turns out anything she wrote that was witty, I had already read!
I enjoyed a few of her short stories, especially the ones that were
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written during the War...and guess what?: her husband was serving overseas. The ring of authenticity was, well, to write as she did, authentic.In a few of the reviews she wrote I think I saw the hint of what made her current "back in the day." Unfortunately, humor doesn't always wear well. Her "letters" were dreadfully boring....not understanding fully the intended audience nor to what she was alluding. Evidently her son suffered from Tuberculosis. The scourge of her day, and becoming one in ours, too.
All in all, it is one of those books where I can say, "I'm glad I read it," but am happy to never need to read it again. A good book to put in the guest room bookcase....
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LibraryThing member Kasthu
Dorothy Parker was famous for her satirical wit, a founding member of the Algonquin Round Table, and one of the earliest writers for the New Yorker. She was once arrested for protesting the execution of the murderers Sacco and Vanzetti. Later, she pursued screenwriting in Hollywood and was later
Although Parker deplored the idea of writing “like a woman,” in her short fiction she often focused on themes that women frequently write about. Her short stories tend to focus on the relationships between the sexes, and the differences that arise out of relationships between men and women. She was really good at watching people and listening to them, which is how she can write an entire story in dialogue and still get her message across by implication. Two of my favorite stories among the ones collected here are “Big Blonde,” the story of a young woman’s alcoholic decline (based on personal experience, which makes all the more powerful); and “The Game,” in which a young married couple have a dinner party at which a game (resembling Charades), innocent at first, is played. This last story highlights the fact that there’s a hidden meaning (or multiple meanings) for every action.
But her stories don’t really capture what Dorothy Parker might have been like as a person; for that, you have to look at her other works for that famous, biting wit. In her book reviews, Parker reviews not only the book but the author as well (“Dashiell Hammett is as American as a sawed-off shotgun.”). Even when she’s trying to review other people, Parker is pretty self-deprecatory; so she’ll interject her reviews and articles with personal anecdotes that poke fun at her own age, for example. I love an author who can roll with the punches, so to speak, and someone who can make fun of themselves gets extra points with me. In all, this collection is an impressive representation of the oeuvre of Dorothy Parker’s work, life, and personality.
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blacklisted there for her involvement in left-wing politics. She was married three times, twice to the same man; and had four suicide attempts, none successful. After her death, her ashes lay for 21 years on a shelf at a funeral home and then in the office of a Wall Street law firm, before she was finally buried at the headquarters of the NAACP. Parker loved one-liners and word play, and this is a compilation of short stories, magazine articles, letters, interviews, book and theater reviews, and poetry written by Parker over a period of roughly 60 years.Although Parker deplored the idea of writing “like a woman,” in her short fiction she often focused on themes that women frequently write about. Her short stories tend to focus on the relationships between the sexes, and the differences that arise out of relationships between men and women. She was really good at watching people and listening to them, which is how she can write an entire story in dialogue and still get her message across by implication. Two of my favorite stories among the ones collected here are “Big Blonde,” the story of a young woman’s alcoholic decline (based on personal experience, which makes all the more powerful); and “The Game,” in which a young married couple have a dinner party at which a game (resembling Charades), innocent at first, is played. This last story highlights the fact that there’s a hidden meaning (or multiple meanings) for every action.
But her stories don’t really capture what Dorothy Parker might have been like as a person; for that, you have to look at her other works for that famous, biting wit. In her book reviews, Parker reviews not only the book but the author as well (“Dashiell Hammett is as American as a sawed-off shotgun.”). Even when she’s trying to review other people, Parker is pretty self-deprecatory; so she’ll interject her reviews and articles with personal anecdotes that poke fun at her own age, for example. I love an author who can roll with the punches, so to speak, and someone who can make fun of themselves gets extra points with me. In all, this collection is an impressive representation of the oeuvre of Dorothy Parker’s work, life, and personality.
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LibraryThing member dandelionroots
"And if, somewhere in that process, you part with a certain amount of sanity, doubtless you are better off without it. There is too much sense in this world anyway."
So much, which would be baller if most of it was entertaining - alas. The poetry is abysmal (which she admits during a later-in-life
"Ah, the sun's coming out! It's going to be a lovely day, after all. Isn't that the meanest thing you ever saw in your life?"
So much, which would be baller if most of it was entertaining - alas. The poetry is abysmal (which she admits during a later-in-life
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interview, she wasn't contradicted). Short stories are where she shines, sometimes: The Lovely Leave; Mr. Durant; The Waltz; Song of the Shirt, 1941; A Telephone Call; Soldiers of the Republic; Too Bad; Big Blonde; Lady with a Lamp. Love her one-sided conversations/quasi-monologues and her portrayal of the perfect woman throughout - "Men like a good sport" (all satire, of course). Also enjoyed her review of Redemption by Leo Tolstoi and her Introduction: The Seal in the Bedroom and Other Predicaments by James Thurber. Reading while depressed was a perk, I fear even less would have resonated otherwise. "Ah, the sun's coming out! It's going to be a lovely day, after all. Isn't that the meanest thing you ever saw in your life?"
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LibraryThing member lschiff
I was underwhelmed. "Big Blonde" was great, but many of the stories felt formulaic, cranked out and dated. The essays, reviews and letters were better, but even there, after awhile they became repetitious.
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
0143039539 / 9780143039532
Physical description
656 p.; 5.66 inches
Pages
656