People Have More Fun Than Anybody: A Centennial Celebration of Drawings & Writings by James Thurber

by James Thurber

"Vintage Thurber. . . small masterpieces of contemporary comment." — Chicago Tribune "As funny, surprising, elegant, and subtly provocative as one would expect from that superb writer and draftsman." —Atlantic Monthly This delightful volume of previously uncollected work from beloved American humorist James Thurber includes nearly one hundred drawings and writings by the only cartoonist who could claim to draw "abstract things like despair, disillusion, despondency, sorrow, lapse of memory, exile." Edited and with an Introduction by Michael J. Rosen.

Genres: Humor, Comics

192 pages, paper

First published May 1, 1994

About the author

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 comedienne" and "one of the finest comic talents I think I have ever known." She was a practical joker, on one occasion pretending to be crippled and attending a faith healer revival, only to jump up and proclaim herself healed.

Thurber had two brothers, William and Robert. Once, while playing a game of William Tell, his brother William shot James in the eye with an arrow. Because of the lack of medical technology, Thurber lost his eye. This injury would later cause him to be almost entirely blind. During his childhood he was unable to participate in sports and activities because of his injury, and instead developed a creative imagination, which he shared in his writings.

From 1913 to 1918, Thurber attended The Ohio State University, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. He never graduated from the University because his poor eyesight prevented him from taking a mandatory ROTC course. In 1995 he was posthumously awarded a degree.

From 1918 to 1920, at the close of World War I, Thurber worked as a code clerk for the Department of State, first in Washington, D.C. and then at the American Embassy in Paris, France. After this Thurber returned to Columbus, where he began his writing career as a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch from 1921 to 1924. During part of this time, he reviewed current books, films, and plays in a weekly column called "Credos and Curios," a title that later would be given to a posthumous collection of his work. Thurber also returned to Paris in this period, where he wrote for the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers.

In 1925, he moved to Greenwich Village in New York City, getting a job as a reporter for the New York Evening Post. He joined the staff of The New Yorker in 1927 as an editor with the help of his friend and fellow New Yorker contributor, E.B. White. His career as a cartoonist began in 1930 when White found some of Thurber's drawings in a trash can and submitted them for publication. Thurber would contribute both his writings and his drawings to The New Yorker until the 1950s.

Thurber was married twice. In 1922, Thurber married Althea Adams. The marriage was troubled and ended in divorce in May 1935. Adams gave Thurber his only child, his daughter Rosemary. Thurber remarried in June, 1935 to Helen Wismer. His second marriage lasted until he died in 1961, at the age of 66, due to complications from pneumonia, which followed upon a stroke suffered at his home. His last words, aside from the repeated word "God," were "God bless... God damn," according to Helen Thurber.

Reviews

[John of Canada · Rating 5 out of 5]

He respects dogs,is a strange but enjoyable caricaturist and has a a limited tolerance for b.s.He explains why aliens,especially martians are more afraid of us than we are of them.Thurber is one of the funniest authors I have read.He is also a superior wordsmith.In one of his essays on the Antarctic he describes "this overwhelm of ice."I checked my dictionary and I found the word as a verb only,and yet it made sense as a noun.He makes great sport of politicians,but he's never nasty.Read this book.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Thurber was one of America's foremost humorists. His writings as well as drawings and sketches, excelled in blending humor and satire, all viewed through a comedic and fabulist lens. Thurber wrote mostly for the New Yorker. His essays and columns, particularly in the first part of the twentieth century, had meaning and message, spoke directly to his readers and covered a wide range of the social and political topics of his day.

A great essayist is a sharp observer and listener of the world, gathering in even the small bits and then exploring and exploding them to shed a revealing light while offering consequential analysis to be enjoyed, laughed at, or pondered. James Thurber was and did all of that and more. I gained a few writing tips from him by reading this collection and had some laugh-out-loud moments. There were a few duds, but even Thurber's duds glint with hints of gold if you're open to discovery.

If you enjoy reading humor essays that poke a bit of fun at the world while showing you the world in a new way, you have to read James Thurber. This collection of his writings is a great place to start. You might not get all of it because of references to the goings-on of his time period, but you'll get enough to appreciate why he was a master of his craft.

[Marianne Mersereau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was motivated to read this book when a friend used the phrase, "People Have More Fun Than Anybody" and attributed it to her uncle. When I googled it, this book title came up. In one of the essays in the book, Mr. Thurber explains that the phrase was coined by Colonel Lemuel Q. Stoopnagle (whose real name was F. Chase Taylor), one of radio's earliest satirists. He appeared as part of the "Stoopnagle and Budd" comedy team, which began broadcasting in 1931 and aired for over a decade. The essay in which Thurber challenges the truth of the phrase is exceptionally well written, and he concludes that rather than having more fun than anybody, people actually "raise more hell than anybody." Mr. Thurber (1894 -1961) left readers with a wonderful legacy in this collection of humorous writing and funny comics.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an abiding delight. I will go back to Thurber again and again.

[Mordechai Housman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually a re-read. I have long loved Thurber's humor. Read it.