“I like to have a martini, Two at the very most. After three I'm under the table, after four I'm under my host.”
Work
<p>Dorothy Parker, more than any of her contemporaries, captured the spirit of the Jazz Age in her poetry and prose, and <i>The Collected Dorothy Parker</i> includes an introduction by Brendan Gill in Penguin Modern Classics. <p>Dorothy Parker was the most talked-about woman of her day, notorious as the hard-drinking bad girl with a talent for stinging repartee and endlessly quotable one-liners. The decadent 1920s and 1930s in New York were a time of great experiment and daring for women. For the rich, life seemed a continual party, but the excesses took their emotional toll. In the bitingly witty poems and stories collected here, along with her articles and reviews, she brilliantly captures the spirit of the decadent Jazz Age in New York, exposing both the dazzle and the darkness. But beneath the sharp perceptions and acidic humour, much of her work poignantly expresses the deep vulnerability of a troubled, self-destructive woman who, in the words of philosopher Irwin Edman, was 'a Sappho who could combine a heartbreak with a wisecrack'. <p>Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) was born in West End, New Jersey, and grew up in New York. In 1916 she sold some of her poetry to the editor of <i>Vogue</i>, and was subsequently given an editorial position on the magazine. She then became drama critic of <i>Vanity Fair </i>and the central figure of the celebrated Algonquin Round Table, whose members included George S. Kaufman and Harpo Marx. Her collections of poems included <i>Enough Rope</i> (1926) and <i>Not So Deep as a Well</i> (1936), and her collections of stories included <i>Here Lies</i> (1939); in addition, she collaborated on and wrote screenplays including the Oscar-winning <i>A Star is Born</i> (1937), and Alfred Hitchcock's <i>Saboteur</i> (1942). <p>If you enjoyed <i>The Collected Dorothy Parker</i>, you might like Truman Capote's <i>The Complete Stories</i>, also available in Penguin Modern Classics. <p>'She managed to express her real feelings in stanzas which snap and glitter like a Chanel handbag'<br>Peter Ackroyd, <i>The Times</i></p>
Quotes
Showing 1-3 of 3
Dorothy Parker
Canonical work source
“I like to have a martini, Two at the very most. After three I'm under the table, after four I'm under my host.”
“I like best to have one book in my hand, and a stack of others on the floor beside me, so as to know the supply of poppy and mandragora will not run out before the small hours.”
“Prince or commoner, tenor or bass, Painter or plumber or never-do-well, Do me a favor and shut your face - Poets alone should kiss and tell.”