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230th out of 1,873 books
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3,708 voters
The Thurber Carnival
by
James Thurber,
Michael J. Rosen (Goodreads Author)
James Thurber's unique ability to convey the vagaries of life in a funny, witty, and often satirical way earned him accolades as one of the finest humorists of the twentieth century. A bestseller upon its initial publication in 1945. The Thurber Carnival captures the depth and breadth of his talent. The pieces here, almost all of which first appeared in The New Yorker, inc...more
Paperback, 425 pages
Published
September 8th 1999
by Harper Perennial Modern Classics
(first published 1945)
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Feb 23, 2009
Erik Graff
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Gene Shepherd fans
Recommended to Erik by:
Einar Graff
Shelves:
literature
Dad was a great fan of James Thurber, having several of his books on the shelves as far back as memory serves and purchasing others as they came out. This was, if not the first, one of the first of the Thurber collections I ever read, Thurber being recommended not only by Dad's taste but by the occasional reading of some of his stories on WFMT radio's "Midnight Special".
For some reason this book seems to multiply in my house like rabbits. I have 4 copies if you count the one that the dog chewed.
I think this was a best seller in the 40s and all of the classic Thurber is here, "Walter Mitty", "Catbird Seat", and the drawings. Like all great writers Thurber creates a world of his own that is a privilege to visit.
The only dated sections are those devoted to making fun of black dialect. In the age of "Amos and Andy" calling holiday wreaths "holiday reeves", may hav...more
I think this was a best seller in the 40s and all of the classic Thurber is here, "Walter Mitty", "Catbird Seat", and the drawings. Like all great writers Thurber creates a world of his own that is a privilege to visit.
The only dated sections are those devoted to making fun of black dialect. In the age of "Amos and Andy" calling holiday wreaths "holiday reeves", may hav...more
What is interesting about my approach to this book is that I really had nothing interesting to say about James Thurber prior to reading it. As an avid subscriber and historian of the New Yorker magazine, I was familiar with some of his cartoons and his short nonfiction pieces, but I had never really decided to sit down and read this volume until I bought it (as I think I remember) at a library clearance sale. It was a hilarious examination of life and the human experience, and a real definitive...more
369 pages. Donated 2010 May.
After the chuckles and amidst the chortles, the first-time reader of The Thurber Carnival is bound to utter a discreetly voiced "Huh?" Like Cracker Jacks, there are surprises inside James Thurber's delicious 1945 smorgasbord of essays, stories, and sketches. This festival is, surprises and all, a collection of earlier collections (mostly), including, among others, gems from My World--and Welcome to It, Let Your Mind Alone!, and The Middle Aged Man on the Flying Trapez...more
After the chuckles and amidst the chortles, the first-time reader of The Thurber Carnival is bound to utter a discreetly voiced "Huh?" Like Cracker Jacks, there are surprises inside James Thurber's delicious 1945 smorgasbord of essays, stories, and sketches. This festival is, surprises and all, a collection of earlier collections (mostly), including, among others, gems from My World--and Welcome to It, Let Your Mind Alone!, and The Middle Aged Man on the Flying Trapez...more
Apr 10, 2009
Valerie
added it
I once read a comment in which a man said he had no doubt Superman could fly or do all the other stuff, but 'Who ever heard of a mild-mannered reporter?" When I proposed the question to my mother she suggested 'James Thurber'?
Thurber's stories of word games, life on the New Yorker staff, his adventures with nearsightedness, etc always charmed me, and some of the cartoons (Such as: 'For the last time, you and your horsie get away from me.') have stuck with me, though I often forget which collect...more
Thurber's stories of word games, life on the New Yorker staff, his adventures with nearsightedness, etc always charmed me, and some of the cartoons (Such as: 'For the last time, you and your horsie get away from me.') have stuck with me, though I often forget which collect...more
I haven't read these in decades, so it was fun to sit down and re-acquaint myself with Mr. Thurber. Thurber was one of the greatest American humorists of the mid-20th century, and a long time contributor to The New Yorker. This is his self-chosen best of -- and it does contain some very special works, mostly excerpts from longer collections. His humor is definitely of the New Yorker style, often dry and literary, but if you are in the mood for it, he can still be a joy to read. If you have no pr...more
Ah, I LOVE this book. In my Christmas-can't-concentrate-on-anything mindset I've been reading familiar favorites, including this. Thurber's stories completely totally kill me - I've literally laughed out loud while reading. "The Night the Bed Fell" is a classic, and I do love the stories about the day the damn broke, and the string of maids his family had.
Thurber's stories are just short little pieces about his life, but they are so funny. And he illustrates them himeslf, badly, but they are so...more
Thurber's stories are just short little pieces about his life, but they are so funny. And he illustrates them himeslf, badly, but they are so...more
I remember a series from the seventies called "My World and Welcome To It" based on the writing of James Thurber. It was hilarious (at least I remember my 11 year old self thinking it was.) So I thought I'd really enjoy this book which had short stories from several of his books including My World, etc. etc. And a lot of it was wonderful, a short story called The Owl Who was God, could have been an analogy of todays political climate, very clever. But, being published in the forties, many of the...more
May 17, 2013
Abby
added it
I went to Mr. Thurber's house in Columbus, Ohio before I realized he was the author of one of my favorite sentences of all time: "I'll skwuck your thrug 'til all you can whipple is geep!" (The Wonderful O). He is so middle of the road, so absent-minded and yet so observant, that I was looking forward to reading him.
But there is something about Thurber's brand of humor that goes south very quickly. It's like biting into a delicious deli sandwich and realizing you forgot to take the toothpick out....more
But there is something about Thurber's brand of humor that goes south very quickly. It's like biting into a delicious deli sandwich and realizing you forgot to take the toothpick out....more
I have to confess, although I am currently reading this, I have read it multiple times before - the first time in high school, I believe. James Thurber is without a doubt one of the great American humorists. He constructs a world all of his own, and pulls you into it. Although some of the situations are dated - train travel, dinner jackets, servants, the husband spending the night at the club after a spousal spat - the people we meet up with are still among us, and their interactions are perfect...more
The Macbeth Murder Mystery is just the funniest thing ever written. Read on.
"It was a stupid mistake to make," said the American woman I had met at my hotel in the English lake country, "but it was on the counter with the other Penguin books--the little sixpenny ones, you know, with the paper covers--and I supposed of course it was a detective story. All the others were detective stories. I'd read all the others, so I bought this one without really looking at it carefully. You can imagine how ma...more
"It was a stupid mistake to make," said the American woman I had met at my hotel in the English lake country, "but it was on the counter with the other Penguin books--the little sixpenny ones, you know, with the paper covers--and I supposed of course it was a detective story. All the others were detective stories. I'd read all the others, so I bought this one without really looking at it carefully. You can imagine how ma...more
7 likes · like · see review
After having decided to skip the fictive short stories, I enjoyed the rest enormously (I can't read 'More Alarms At Night' enough. it is fantastically hilarious to me!). Then, I also really enjoyed the excerpts from "The Owl in the Attic." They are hysterical.
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I am enjoying the essays about his life tremendously. I have less patience with the fictional ones (though they have some funny moments, too) because the women are vacuous, the black stereotypes awful, and the tone, vaguely misogynisti...more
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I am enjoying the essays about his life tremendously. I have less patience with the fictional ones (though they have some funny moments, too) because the women are vacuous, the black stereotypes awful, and the tone, vaguely misogynisti...more
May 20, 2013
Holly
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Holly by:
my father
Shelves:
favorite-fiction,
light-reading
Have I mentioned that I love James Thurber's work, that he saved me from being a total wet blanket and, at a time when no one else could get me to smile, made me laugh till my sides hurt. This collection of essays, articles and random thoughts kept my sides aching until I could manage smiles again. "The Catbird Seat'', "What Do You Mean It WAS Brillig?", "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" plus dozens of other Thurber wonders and delights are waiting to spill into your mind and funny bone. Read it...more
40 years ago, when I first read Thurber's works, they were completely entertaining, and made me laugh out loud in many places. Sadly, I've tried re-reading them recently, and found that they had staled rather badly. There are a few stories that stand the test of time, like The Day The Dam Burst, but most of Thurber's stuff hasn't aged very well.
Guys, I love this book. It's fantastically hysterical.
(Most of the time, at least. It's not quite so fantastically hysterical when you're attempting to act it out as part of a high school drama performance, as my classmates and I unfortunately discovered. Clearly Thurber was not aiming to entertain the fourteen-year-old crowd....)
(Most of the time, at least. It's not quite so fantastically hysterical when you're attempting to act it out as part of a high school drama performance, as my classmates and I unfortunately discovered. Clearly Thurber was not aiming to entertain the fourteen-year-old crowd....)
I've already gushed about Thurber in my reviews of "My Life and Hard Times" and "Lanterns and Lances." If you like humor, you need to check him out, and this collection is the best place to start. It includes the complete classic "autobiography" "My Life and Hard Times," in addition to some of Thurber's best-known stories. "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and "The Cat-Bird Seat" are both here, along with samples of Thurber's cartoons.
My personal favorite stories in the collection are "The Lady...more
My personal favorite stories in the collection are "The Lady...more
My parents introduced me to Thurber when I was about 11 years old; his stories resonated in my imagination and tendency to make meaning of life through descriptive language. My daughter began reading "Carnival" at age 9. I gave her a copy for Christmas that year; it mingles with college text books in her all-grown-up house.
I finally finished! This poor book is one of several I've had on my in-progress list forever and a day. I was feeling guilty about that list the other day, and decided to do something about it. Since I had the fewest pages left in this one, I had at it. While Mr. Thurber did not consistently leave me ROFLing, he got quite a few LOLs out of me. What a quirky fellow he appears to have been, and what quirky things he wrote!
Next I'll try to get back into Here I Stand. Some precious, precious, ever s...more
Next I'll try to get back into Here I Stand. Some precious, precious, ever s...more
Contains two great stories, the Catbird Seat, which is a jewel, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. There are other stories of note, as well. Thurber was so unique. Very refreshing to see his point of view. His drawings of dogs are never to be forgotten.
"The Catbird Seat" is one of the best funniest short stories ever written (right up there with FSFitzgerald's "Bernice Bobs Her Hair")
On that alone, this is worth the price. Add Thurber's amazing cartoons, and you have a classic.
On that alone, this is worth the price. Add Thurber's amazing cartoons, and you have a classic.
If you like David Sedaris--and who doesn't--and you don't have anything against books written before 1960, then you must read James Thurber, one of the masters of the comic essay. Thurber and Twain, baby. Thurber and Twain.
So many funny stories here. In addition to "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," I recommend, "The Greatest Man in the World." The "Fables for Our Time" don't quite compare to the stories and remebrances.
Charming, but as it is a compendium, it was hard to read all at once. Better to enjoy him in a magazine (which is what this came from). Ah well. I'm glad I got to know him through this book.
I loved his humor. His prose is carefully worded and precise, which just adds to the humor, because he leads you exactly where he wants you. My favorites were the "Fables for Our Times" and the story about the woman who accidentally picks up "Macbeth" when she means to grab a murder mystery, and after reading it she flatly denies that the Macbeths were responsible, because, "It can't ever be the person you most suspect, you know."
This isn't one I'd want to sit and read straight through (which i...more
This isn't one I'd want to sit and read straight through (which i...more
Terrific bedside reading. Thurber's wit and off-kilter view of society comes through in every piece in the collection. And while all these pieces were written decades ago, the characters in them are still with us. Thurber can make me think with one paragraph and then cause me to laugh out loud with the next. Without intending to do so, he also gives the reader a disturbing peek at racial attitudes in the U.S. 60 or 70 years ago.
How disappointing to grow up and read this high school favorite again. Mr. Thurber had a lot of anger and much of it is directed at women.
Like so many of the really great books and authors I've read, I have my mother to thank for introducing me to the joys of James Thurber.
Perfection. Thurber is one of the writers whose voice is always in the back of mind when I write anything. Even shopping lists.
You can read it all at once or you can take it a couple short stories at a time, sit it down for a while and pick it back up. Either way, the majority of the stories are light-hearted and comical takes on what would normally be quite mundane and while some of it is out-dated (particularly in how "colored people" are portrayed in his stories), it will keep you interested and thinking.
I absolutely LOVE James Thurber. :) My all time favorite is "The Night the Bed Fell" I've read it over and over and it NEVER fails to make me laugh out loud. Thurber's characters seem so REAL, despite being from another time. He's like the guy at the family gathering that has everyone rolling on the floor with stories about the people there. "Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and "Catbird Seat" are two of my other favorites. I always wondered if Thurber had a nagging wife because in his cartoons and...more
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Thurber was born in Columbus, Ohio to Charles L. Thurber and Mary Agnes (Mame) Fisher Thurber. Both of his parents greatly influenced his work. His father, a sporadically employed clerk and minor politician who dreamed of being a lawyer or an actor, is said to have been the inspiration for the small, timid protagonist typical of many of his stories. Thurber described his mother as a "born comedien...more
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“Let me be the first to admit that the naked truth about me is to the naked truth about Salvador Dali as an old ukulele in the attic is to a piano in a tree, and I mean a piano with breasts. Senor Dali has the jump on me from the beginning. He remembers and describes in detail what it was like in the womb. My own earliest memory is of accompanying my father to a polling booth in Columbus, Ohio, where he voted for William McKinley.”
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“Well, I'm disenchanted, too. We're all disenchanted.”
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Feb 13, 2011 07:13am