Dorothy Parker (August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th century urban foibles.
From a conflicted and unhappy childhood, Parker rose to acclaim, both for her literary output in such venues as The New Yorker and as a founding member of the Algonquin Round Table. Following the breakup of the circle, Parker traveled to Hollywood to pursue screenwriting. Her successes there, including two Academy Award nominations, were curtailed as her involvement in left-wing politics led to a place on the Hollywood blacklist.
Dismissive of her own talents, she deplored her reputation as a "wisecracker." Nevertheless, her literary output and reputation for her sharp wit have endured.
Read more about Dorothy Parker: Early Life, Algonquin Round Table Years, Hollywood, Later Life, Posthumous Honors, Pastiches, Fictional Portrayals and In Popular Culture
Famous quotes by dorothy parker:
“Sam Goldwyn said, ‘How’m I gonna do decent pictures when all my good writers are in jail?’ Then he added, the infallible Goldwyn, ‘Don’t misunderstand me, they all ought to be hung.’ Mr. Goldwyn didn’t know about ‘hanged.’ That’s all there is to say.”
—Dorothy Parker (1893–1967)
“I went to a literary gathering once.... The place was filled with people who looked as if they had been scraped up out of drains. The ladies ran to draped plush dresses—for Art; to wreaths of silken flowerets in the hair—for Femininity; and, somewhere between the two adornments, to chain-drive pince-nez—for Astigmatism. The gentlemen were small and somewhat in need of dusting.”
—Dorothy Parker (1893–1967)
“Sorrow is tranquility remembered in emotion.”
—Dorothy Parker (1893–1967)
“This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.”
—Dorothy Parker (1893–1967)
“The two most beautiful words in the English language are ‘check enclosed.’”
—Dorothy Parker (1893–1967)