Mirth of a Nation: The Best Contemporary Humor - Softcover

Rosen, Michael J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060953217 ISBN 13: 9780060953218

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks, 2000

Synopsis

Seriously Funny Writing By Today's Most Celebrated Authors

At last, a premier showcase of fifty-four great literary humorists and masters of the journalistic jab, the social spoof, the parodic proof, the satire, the tirade, and the send-up. Here are those "last laughs" and "wit's end" pieces everyone turns to first but then loses in back issues of favorite magazines and newspapers, including:

• Merrill Markoeon Networking with angels
• Garry Trudeau on re-retranslating Madonna
• David Sedaris on reviewing school Christmas Plays
• John Updike on cross-dressing with J. Edgar Hoover

Also included are riotous contributions from Henry Alford, Jon Stewart, and David Ives, as well as millennial maxims by Mark O'Donnell, gardening advice by Mertensia Corydalis, and highlights from Randy Cohen's savvy "News Quiz."

Brought to you by The Thurber House

About this title

About the Author

Michael J. Rosen was among those involved in the very first days of Thurber House and he continued to serve as its literary director for twenty years. Michael is the author of some 150 other books―poetry, young-adult novels, anthologies, picture books, cookbooks―for readers of all ages. Most recently, he has published James Thurber's Collected Fables, as well as a hefty monograph, A Mile and a Half of Lines: The Art of James Thurber, that coincides with an exhibition at the Columbus Museum of Art that he’s curated in honor of the Year of Thurber (2019).  He’s also an editor, ceramic artist, illustrator, and companion animal to a cattle dog named Chant. 

www.michaeljrosen.com 

 

From the Back Cover

Seriously Funny Writing By Today's Most Celebrated Authors

At last, a premier showcase of fifty-four great literary humorists and masters of the journalistic jab, the social spoof, the parodic proof, the satire, the tirade, and the send-up. Here are those "last laughs" and "wit's end" pieces everyone turns to first but then loses in back issues of favorite magazines and newspapers, including:

• Merrill Markoeon Networking with angels
• Garry Trudeau on re-retranslating Madonna
• David Sedaris on reviewing school Christmas Plays
• John Updike on cross-dressing with J. Edgar Hoover

Also included are riotous contributions from Henry Alford, Jon Stewart, and David Ives, as well as millennial maxims by Mark O'Donnell, gardening advice by Mertensia Corydalis, and highlights from Randy Cohen's savvy "News Quiz."

Brought to you by The Thurber House

Reviews

Capitalizing on the current renaissance of American humor, editor Rosen has assembled more than 50 top wisecrackers, most represented by two or three short works. Included are veterans like Dave Barry, Roy Blount Jr., and Fran Lebowitz, and rising stars like David Sedaris, Sandra Tsing Loh, Patricia Marx, and David Rakoff. Though many of the pieces have been published or broadcast previously, some appear in this volume for the first time--notably Bonnie Abbott's "Zone 5: Gardening Advice by Mertensia Corydalis," a character who's a cross between Martha Stewart and Dr. Laura but with personal axes to grind. Another standout is Chris Harris' "Design Intervention," which modestly proposes to settle world disputes through more aesthetic border redesign ("Our primary goal, remember, is a beautiful world map"). Also, Jon Stewart's monologue by a catty waiter at the Last Supper is a small miracle. Thanks to McSweeney's editor Dave Eggers, even the book's submission guidelines and "A Note about the Type" tickle ribs. This volume, the first in a planned series, will be a welcome companion on the commuter train, at the beach, during a hospital stay--and, naturally, at the Reference Desk. James Klise

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060953217
• ISBN 13: 9780060953218
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 640