Dorothy Parker (August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American writer and poet, best known for her caustic wit, wisecracks, and sharp 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, a group she would later disdain. Following the breakup of that circle, Parker travelled to Hollywood to pursue screenwriting. Her successes there, including two Academy Award nominations, would eventually be curtailed, as her involvement in left-wing politics would lead to a place on the infamous Hollywood blacklist. Parker survived three marriages (two to the same man) and several suicide attempts, but grew increasingly dependent on alcohol. Although she would come to dismiss her own talents and deplore her reputation as a "wisecracker," her literary output and her sparkling wit have endured long past her death.
a night-piece on death
By the blue taper's trembling light,
No more I waste the wakeful night,
Intent with endles...[read poem]
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No more I waste the wakeful night,
Intent with endles...
unfortunate coincidence
By the time you swear you're his,
Shivering and sighing,
And he vows his passion is...[read poem]
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Shivering and sighing,
And he vows his passion is...
ballade at thirty-five
This, no song of an ingénue,
This, no ballad of innocence;
This, the rhyme of a...[read poem]
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This, no ballad of innocence;
This, the rhyme of a...
on his queerness
When I was young and wanted to see the sights,
They told me: 'Cast an eye over the Roman Camp...[read poem]
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They told me: 'Cast an eye over the Roman Camp...
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