Dorothy Parker: Poems

by Dorothy Parker

Genres: Poetry

208 pages, Hardcover

Published March 11, 2025

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Dorothy Parker was an American writer, poet and critic 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. Following the breakup of the circle, Parker traveled to Hollywood to pursue screenwriting. Her successes there, including two Academy Award nominations, were curtailed as her involvement in left-wing politics led to a place on the Hollywood blacklist.
Dismissive of her own talents, she deplored her reputation as a "wisecracker." Nevertheless, her literary output and reputation for her sharp wit have endured.

Reviews

[Phoebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

many hidden gems in this little pocket collection. I enjoy reading cynical and sarcastic female voices from an era before it was socially acceptable.

[Dan Trefethen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dorothy Parker was famously known as a wit in the 1920s, part of a stylish, sharp literary scene in New York. She is more of a versifier than a poet, as the simple rhymes of this book show. The enjoyment is the sharp wit, cynicism about love and about her experiences therein.

“Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song,
A medley of extemporanea;
And love is a thing that can never go wrong;
And I am Marie of Roumania.”

Most of the poems are longer than this. Some are straightforward examinations of love, but most have a sharp sting at the end. You endure the set-up in order to get to the punch line.

“Oh, is it, then, Utopian
To hope that I may meet a man
Who'll not relate, in accents suave,
The tales of girls he used to have?”

Ignoring the rhyme of 'suave' with 'have', this theme recurs: Lovers talking about previous lovers. One variation has Parker imploring her former (or current) lovers not to talk about her. But if I had Dorothy Parker as a former girlfriend, I would definitely talk about her!

There's a certain black humor in many of the poems:

“Razors pain you;
Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you;
And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren't lawful;
Nooses give;
Gas smells awful;
You might as well live.”

There are a number of poems about beauty and appearance. One of the most famous of her poems is probably this little couplet:

“Men seldom make passes
At girls who wear glasses.”

This is a short book and easy to get through in an hour or so. If you want to imagine what it may have been like to spend a little time with her at the Algonquin Round Table, give it a look.

[Mara]

Favorite poems in this collection include:

A Very Short Song
Convalescent
Hearthside
Unfortunate Coincidence