Dorothy Parker is to writing what Mae West is to film. She's witty, she's gorgeous, and she's way smarter than you or I. Parker is probably most famous for her witty comebacks, often bandied about at the Algonquin Hotel after umpteen martinis, but her writing is a thing of beauty. In fact, the Portable Dorothy Parker is the one of three Portable books that has never been out of print (the Bible and Shakespeare being the other two).
Mae West was all about bawdiness, all about pushing the envelope through sex appeal, and Dorothy Parker most definitely did not shy away from that, but her writing goes deeper, it goes darker than most people remember. Her multiple attempted suicides come out in some of her witty poems that rhyme and sound upbeat, but when read closely bring out a somber, painful disposition. Parker was a complex individual, and is often written off as a witty lady who said better things than she wrote, but just trust me on this one, that judgement is off. Way off.
Penguin recently released the amazing book you see here with some extra writings that Parker didn't love, but I certainly do. This is definitely one not to be missed.
Happy Reading,
Julia
1 comment:
do we think they would have gotten along? mae--blouzy and wild, dot--snipey and prim. oh yes, you are right...depends on the cocktails. tom collins? maybe. old-fashioneds? without a doubt. irish car bombs? all bets off.
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