Constant Reader
The New Yorker Columns 1927-28
(Author) Dorothy ParkerDorothy Parker’s complete weekly New Yorker column about books and people and the rigors of reviewing. When, in 1927, Dorothy Parker became a book critic for the New Yorker, she was already a legendary wit, a much-quoted member of the Algonquin Round Table, and an arbiter of literary taste. In the year that she spent as a weekly reviewer, under the rubric “Constant Reader,” she created what is still the most entertaining book column ever written. Parker’s hot takes have lost none of their heat, whether she’s taking aim at the evangelist Aimee Semple MacPherson (“She can go on like that for hours. Can, hell—does”), praising Hemingway’s latest collection (“He discards detail with magnificent lavishness”), or dissenting from the Tao of Pooh (“And it is that word ‘hummy,’ my darlings, that marks the first place in The House at Pooh Corner at which Tonstant Weader Fwowed up”). Introduced with characteristic wit and sympathy by Sloane Crosley, Constant Reader gathers the complete weekly New Yorker reviews that Parker published from October 1927 through November 1928, with gimlet-eyed appreciations of the high and low, from Isadora Duncan to Al Smith, Charles Lindbergh to Little Orphan Annie, Mussolini to Emily Post
Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker was an American writer, poet, and critic known for her sharp wit and satirical humor. She was a prominent member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of writers and intellectuals in New York City during the 1920s. Parker's most notable works include her poetry collections "Enough Rope" and "Sunset Gun," as well as her short stories such as "Big Blonde" and "A Telephone Call." Known for her incisive commentary on love, relationships, and society, Parker's writing style was marked by its clever wordplay and dark humor. She made significant contributions to literature through her insightful and candid portrayals of human nature, paving the way for modern feminist writers. Parker's most famous work is perhaps her poem "Resume," which humorously lists various ways in which a person can end their life. Her impact on the literary genre is enduring, as her works continue to be studied and admired for their wit and insight.
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