Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Penguin Classics (2006), Edition: Deluxe, 656 pages
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 Ghost_Boy
Writing a review for Mrs. Parker's Potable Dorothy Parker is a little difficult because she was a critique herself. I'll start this by giving a little background to who Mrs. Parker was and why I think she is an important female writer to read. Dorothy Parker is known to some people as a writer for
Overall I love Mrs. Parker's work. She's one of those writers that I think can write about New York City well (although this is coming from a boy from Vermont that visits NYC about once a year). I also like her word choice too. She never overthought about a story, but she was great with dialogue and setting up a scene. Though this sampler of a book contains a variety of things, I think the things that stood out from the others stuff were her poems and her book reviews over her short stories. Her stories as she points out were mostly serious, but for me they were also for a time I never lived during to full understand. Her poems on the other hand were dark and funny or sometimes both. Only Dotty could make a joke about listing reasons not to kill yourself.
Mrs. Parker's non-fiction stuff is maybe some of the best stuff in this collection. Not only is it telling on her options on this, but it's were you see her famous witty side. I was dying when she started to write about the Beats. Basically she hated them. She wished she could like there writing because it was good, but she hated them as people. Honestly I have to agree with her, although I like some of there stuff, I wouldn't like them as people. She also hated Hollywood, more the directors and behind the scenes stuff. She was a writer tying to make it in Hollywood and gave up because the people weren't very nice to script writers.
Has much as she was bitchy about some stuff, you will find some odd things she adored too. She was a big fan of Dashiell Hammett. She liked Jonh Updike's first book that I just read and apparently we had the same thoughts. She was also a fan of the Winnie-the-Pooh books. Made me smile because I read them as an adult for the first time and enjoyed them, just was embarrassed to tell people I was reading them. She also claim Ernest Hemingway was one of the greats American short story writers (but didn't care for his novels) and she though Truman Capote could master any style of writing. I think if you wanted to pass her seal of approval you had to write out of passion, not for fun. She states in a interview they included that she didn't care for many female writers (even though she was a feminist) and especially fantasy because she though "writing for fun" wasn't what people should do in her day. In a way I have to agree with this too. Too many times I see passion left out of writing, however I have to disagree because sometimes writing is fun if you enjoy it enough.
I really like Mrs. Parker, but I know already some people wouldn't like her because she wouldn't like them. Sorry Beat lovers you not welcome in he circle of friends. Also if you can take an joke, I wouldn't read her stuff either. She not really offensive (actually she is more progressive for her time) but she had a dark sense of humor...hence the poem about suicide I mentioned earlier. However, read Dorothy Parker like look back in time a woman who said what she wanted and worked her ass off to make it anywhere.
What fresh hell is this? Why Mrs. Parker, you are a hell of a good writer.
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several magazines and famous for her one liners like "What fresh hell is this?" However, like most writers she did so much more then just make witty comments. She was a "feminist" too, said so herself. She worked damn hard to get were she wanted in life and said what she wanted without caring what others thought. Plus there aren't many woman writers in her day that I can think of who wrote for magazines or even Hollywood movies. You don't necessarily need to actually read her stuff unless you get interested in her life, but I still think she is someone people should know about, especially people who call them self a feminist.Overall I love Mrs. Parker's work. She's one of those writers that I think can write about New York City well (although this is coming from a boy from Vermont that visits NYC about once a year). I also like her word choice too. She never overthought about a story, but she was great with dialogue and setting up a scene. Though this sampler of a book contains a variety of things, I think the things that stood out from the others stuff were her poems and her book reviews over her short stories. Her stories as she points out were mostly serious, but for me they were also for a time I never lived during to full understand. Her poems on the other hand were dark and funny or sometimes both. Only Dotty could make a joke about listing reasons not to kill yourself.
Mrs. Parker's non-fiction stuff is maybe some of the best stuff in this collection. Not only is it telling on her options on this, but it's were you see her famous witty side. I was dying when she started to write about the Beats. Basically she hated them. She wished she could like there writing because it was good, but she hated them as people. Honestly I have to agree with her, although I like some of there stuff, I wouldn't like them as people. She also hated Hollywood, more the directors and behind the scenes stuff. She was a writer tying to make it in Hollywood and gave up because the people weren't very nice to script writers.
Has much as she was bitchy about some stuff, you will find some odd things she adored too. She was a big fan of Dashiell Hammett. She liked Jonh Updike's first book that I just read and apparently we had the same thoughts. She was also a fan of the Winnie-the-Pooh books. Made me smile because I read them as an adult for the first time and enjoyed them, just was embarrassed to tell people I was reading them. She also claim Ernest Hemingway was one of the greats American short story writers (but didn't care for his novels) and she though Truman Capote could master any style of writing. I think if you wanted to pass her seal of approval you had to write out of passion, not for fun. She states in a interview they included that she didn't care for many female writers (even though she was a feminist) and especially fantasy because she though "writing for fun" wasn't what people should do in her day. In a way I have to agree with this too. Too many times I see passion left out of writing, however I have to disagree because sometimes writing is fun if you enjoy it enough.
I really like Mrs. Parker, but I know already some people wouldn't like her because she wouldn't like them. Sorry Beat lovers you not welcome in he circle of friends. Also if you can take an joke, I wouldn't read her stuff either. She not really offensive (actually she is more progressive for her time) but she had a dark sense of humor...hence the poem about suicide I mentioned earlier. However, read Dorothy Parker like look back in time a woman who said what she wanted and worked her ass off to make it anywhere.
What fresh hell is this? Why Mrs. Parker, you are a hell of a good writer.
Show Less
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
Physical description
656 p.; 8.39 inches
ISBN
0143039539 / 9780143039532