Ogden Nash: The Life and Work of America's Laureate of Light Verse - Hardcover

Parker, Douglas M.; Gioia, Dana

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 156663637X ISBN 13: 9781566636377

Publisher: Ivan R. Dee, 2005

Synopsis

His keen grasp of human nature and a unique style of verse made Ogden Nash, in the mid-twentieth century, the most widely read and frequently quoted poet of his time. For years, readers have longed for a biography to match Nash's charm, wit, and good nature; now we have it in Douglas Parker's absorbing and delightful life of the poet. Intelligent, informative, and engaging.... There is no comparable study not only of Nash's life but also of the role that poetry, especially comic verse, played in modern American literary culture.... A story long overdue in the telling. ―Dana Gioia

About this title

About the Author:

Douglas Parker studied at the Cornell Law School, practiced corporate law in New York City, and served in the White House under President Nixon and in the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He is now retired from private practice and lives in South Orleans, Massachusetts.

Review:

In this faithful and fascinating chronicle, Ogden Nash's triumphs and disappointments on Broadway and in Hollywood; his battles with writer's block and the bottle; his disparate careers as poet, lyricist, editor, film writer, radio and television personality, courtly lover, and resident “Jesus” for Harold Ross of The New Yorker, are all revealed. Nash was a man without enemies; Douglas M. Parker's captivating biography should win him legions of new friends. (X. J. Kennedy)

Douglas Parker's superb biography of Ogden Nash is the book I would rather find in a hotel drawer than the Gideon Bible. Ironically, upon reading a Nash verse, I am invariably tempted to break the Commandment: thou shalt not steal. (Mark Russell, political satirist)

Now that humor has finally been released from the doghouse called 'light verse' and has reclaimed its rightful place in poetry, how well-timed is Douglas Parker's examination of the life and work of Ogden Nash, who refused to hide his joyful wit behind the long, serious mask donned by the writers of 'heavy verse.' (Billy Collins)

Douglas Parker's intelligent, informative, and engaging new biography fills a significant scholarly need in presenting the life and times of this neglected but important American poet. (Dana Gioia)

Parker's is a useful, highly readable biography of one of America's best-loved poets. (Publishers Weekly)

Well-researched. (Bloomberg)

Parker's biography may well lead to a new appreciation of Nash... (Debra Lawless Chatham Chronicle)

Explores the complex person behind the deceptively simple verse. (Melanie Lauwers Cape Cod Times)

I've marked page after page to treasure―for the skill of the friendly first-time biographer as well as the delights of the poet. (Roderick Nordell The Christian Science Monitor)

Admirably concise. (Brad Leithauser The Wall Street Journal)

About this edition

• Publisher: Ivan R. Dee
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 156663637X
• ISBN 13: 9781566636377
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 340