Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This?

by Marion Meade

Book Overview

Marion Meade's engrossing and comprehensive biography of one of the twentieth century's most captivating women In this lively, absorbing biography, Marion Meade illuminates both the charm and the dark side of Dorothy Parker, exploring her days of wicked wittiness at the Algonquin Round Table with the likes of Robert Benchley, George Kaufman, and Harold Ross, and in Hollywood with S. J. Perelman, William Faulkner, and Lillian Hellman. At the dazzling...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140116168
• ISBN13: 9780140116168
• Release Date: March 1989
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 459 Pages
• Weight: 1.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.1" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive and Engrossing

I have read several bios of Parker, as well as bios of and memoirs by other denizens of the Round Table, and this book is BY FAR the most complete. Meade punctures so many of the oft-told tales about Parker, which are blythely repeated in other bios. She interviewed anyone and everyone still alive who could shed light on Parker, and does an impressive bit of detective work to prove that one of Lillian Hellman's many self-aggrandize stories was a fabrication. The negative reviews here are just puzzling to me -- I can't understand what more they want from this book. Far from being full of gossip or taking a kid-glove approach, this biography is exhaustively researched, fully footnoted, and shows all the contradictory -- sometimes unpleasant -- colors of Dorothy Parker.

Wonderful biography

I was amazed to learn what I didn't know about Dorothy Parker - despite the fact I thought I knew a _lot_ about her. I was wrong and you might be, too. Did she really marry a homosexual man twice? What really was the relationship between Dorthy and Robert Benchley? Was she a Communist? And is Lillian Hellman as wonderful as M's Hellman makes herself out to be? These questions (and of course much more) are answered by this book.You may think you know Dorthy Parker, with her "Men don't make passes.." and other witticisms that seemed to spring effortlessly from her mouth, but she was a lot more than a "flapper" or perhaps an "early feminist" - she was a true bundle of contradictions. It's not the "feel good" story of the year, after all, if you've been interested in Dorothy Parker enough to read this far, you already know how the story will end. But it still is a wonderful read. I suggest reading this with "The Portable Parker" as it definitely gives you an insight into the way her mind worked. I intend to find out the exact address of her ashes and pay a visit to that esteemed place, since I now know where her ashes are located. And you will, too, if you take my advice and read this book.

Only Decent Parker Biography

I don't think there is another decent review of Dorothy Parker's life in print. I could go on and on about the individual bits of interesting data the book highlights: her relationship with Benchley, the Algonquin Round Table, Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, plus her socio-political views, her misguided love life, her bitterness/love toward men. I suppose I could tell you a lot about what this book says in these regards. I could lament how I think she is still an underrated fiction writer, as most people get stuck on her quips and witticisms, but her better skill was in unpeeling the subtleties of the everyday moment. I could, couldn't I? There is plenty I could say about her insecurities, her foolish business mistakes and something bizarre about her dog. Oh yes, that would be interesting, that whole dog thing. Instead, I'll just tell you this book is what is says, a thorough examination of the life of Dorothy Parker. You will be happy you bought it. It says everything I didn't say and more. I fully recommend this book. Anthony Trendl editor, HungarianBookstore.com

Reads and Reveals like an Autobiography

The reader must approach this amazing biography with an open mind in order to truly comprehend the life of Dorothy Parker. Ms. Parker was a rebel of her time: she scoffed at the traditional housewife, laughed and exceeded men's expectations of women, and turned society on its ear with her personality. She questioned the preconditioned male society around her to create a world only she could ultimately live in (true to the subtitle of this book). Meade provides Dorothy's story with a writing style that compliments Dorothy in many ways. Meade captures Dorothy's sense of humor, self-destructiveness, and self-hatred beautifully. In a sense, this biography parallels Dorothy's short stories and poems . . . Meade remembers Dorothy for who she was and the struggles she endured.

Candid, outrageous, sad and saucy...Just like Mrs. Parker!

"What Fresh Hell is This" was recommended to me by a co-worker. I found it to be a very easy read about a woman about whom we don't know much. It's at times touching--stories of her multiple suicide attempts; at times juicy--the tales of herself and her many friends like Robert Benchley, and at times, very forthright in letting us know that behind the wit of the Round Table was a woman who had many troubles in her life, but still manages to plow through. I recommend it to anybody who likes a light read about a lady whose style was anything but light. Five stars! Ron Caldwell