There's a Country In My Cellar:

by Russell Baker

Pulitzer Prize-winning and bestselling author Russell Baker, one of America's most beloved social commentators, compiles a collection of his best New York Times columns. Contains all-new material in which Baker details episodes from his life--a follow-up to Baker's bestselling The Good Times .

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Essays

428 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1990

About the author

On August 14, 1925, US journalist, humorist and biographer Russell Baker was born in Loudoun County, Virginia. His father died early on and his hard-working mother reared him and his sisters during the Great Depression. Baker managed to get himself into Johns Hopkins University, where he studied journalism.

Baker’s wit as a humorist has been compared with that of Mark Twain. “The only thing I was fit for was to be a writer,” wrote Baker, “and this notion rested solely on my suspicion that I would never be fit for real work, and that writing didn’t require any.” In 1979, Baker received his first Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary in his “Observer” column for the New York Times (1962 to 1998). His 1983 autobiography, Growing Up earned him a second Pulitzer. In 1993, Baker began hosting the PBS television series Masterpiece Theatre.

Neil Postman, in the preface to Conscientious Objections, describes Baker as "like some fourth century citizen of Rome who is amused and intrigued by the Empire's collapse but who still cares enough to mock the stupidities that are hastening its end. He is, in my opinion, a precious national resource, and as long as he does not get his own television show, America will remain stronger than Russia." (1991, xii)

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

some were interesting, but mostly outdated.

[william · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Russell Baker guys-what do you think--he's as he always is at the top of his class you know like up or down from Saul Bellow and a little to far away from Lewis Grizzard but we're Americans right and we wouldn't all want to be alike--so enjoy all these guys because they were all at the top of their game and they were all as different as they could be--diversification in reading is where it's at--or why read unless of course you're into specifics or your sphincter(a circular band of muscle that encircles an orifice of the body)is a little to crowded to let yourself go--anyway I've enjoyed all these because they're intelligent and strong enough in their writing ability to reach out to readers who thought they might like someone who could put it out there and stand behind what they felt like saying-like some of our radio guys now...anyway they're all worth a little of your reading time--they scratch around and get involved in things and when they don't understand they open it up and go at it whatever the subject with their own characteristically different angles and God bless them for it-so there I thought I was finished but you can also throw in Will Rogers and last but not least Ring Lardner and anybody else that writes off the top of his head and means it....

[David Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having loved "Growing Up" and "The Good Times," Baker's two memoirs, I expected to love this best-of collection of his NYT columns. I did love the introduction, which is self-deprecating about his craft and about the selection process for the book. But as for the book, I only liked it; too many of his columns came across as strained, insubstantial or impersonal. About one-in-four were highly enjoyable. I expected more.

[Sher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Russell Baker is a very funny guy. I have loved reading these collected columns and have actually laughed right out loud at some of them. I am pretty confident I will be reading more of his stuff when I need a little humorous pick-me-up.