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As James Thurber writes in his preface, "This book contains a selection of the stories and drawings the old boy did in his prime, a period which extended roughly from the year Lindbergh flew the Atlantic to the day coffee was rationed. He presents this to his readers with his sincere best wishes for a happy new world."
The Thurber Carnival, which the Saturday Review called "one of the absolutely essential books of our time," was a phenomenal bestseller when it was first published in 1945. The omnibus, virtually all of which first appeared in The New Yorker, draws from such Thurber classics as My World and Welcome to It, My Life and Hard Times, Fables for Our Time and Famous Poems Illustrated, The Owl in the Attic, The Seal in the Bedroom, and Men, Women and Dogs. "It is time that we stopped thinking of James Thurber as a mere funny man for sophisticates and recognized him as an authentic American genius," wrote the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Mr. Thurber belongs in the great line of American humorists which includes Mark Twain and Ring Lardner."
As Thurber writes in his introduction: "This book contains a selection of the stories and drawings the old boy did in his prime."
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| $99.99 | Digital |
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Amanda Zuczek
reviewed The Thurber carnival on October 12, 2018
The Thurber carnival
"One has the disturbing feeling that the man contrived to be some place without actually having gone there."
I picked this text up because I played a teenaged James Thurber in an autobiographical play about his childhood years ago. "The Thurber Carnival" was published in 1945 and is a compendium of James Thurber's work from 9 previous collections. At one time, he was one of the most famous writers in America. The Preface, written by Thurber himself is a great start to the collection.
I noticed that there are many stories/essays in this piece that focus on unhappily married couples. Lots. Some of them feel a little too sharp for me, but "A Couple of Hamburgers" is a story that deals with an unhappy marriage and it is an excellent example of a well-written short story. Two other standout pieces are "Memories of the Gas Buggy", which actually made me giggle out loud and "Snapshot of a Dog", which is a simple and lovely tribute to a childhood pet.
An unexpected punch in the gut is the story "One is a Wanderer", a piece that focuses on loneliness and not having real intimacy. It will set you back for a moment.
The selections from Thurber's book "My Life & Hard Times" are easily the best, and funniest, in this collection. You will recognize a couple of stories from that work as many are quite famous and well anthologized to this day.
The last couple of sections of "The Thurber Carnival" were odd reads for me. The humor eluded me. I just chalked it up to different times and moved on, but it did lead me to a thought. As I read, I could not help but feel that this text is dated, really dated and I wonder if it will survive another generation. I do not know the answer to that.
I live just outside of Columbus Ohio, which is the place of Thurber's childhood and an inspiration for much of his work. He holds a sentimental place in my heart. I do hope he continues to be discovered by successive generations.
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Add The Thurber carnival, As James Thurber writes in his preface, This book contains a selection of the stories and drawings the old boy did in his prime, a period which extended roughly from the year Lindbergh flew the Atlantic to the day coffee was rationed. He presents this t, The Thurber carnival to the inventory that you are selling on WonderClubX
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Add The Thurber carnival, As James Thurber writes in his preface, This book contains a selection of the stories and drawings the old boy did in his prime, a period which extended roughly from the year Lindbergh flew the Atlantic to the day coffee was rationed. He presents this t, The Thurber carnival to your collection on WonderClub |