DOROTHY PARKER IN HOLLYWOOD

A sympathetic account of the legendary writer, social activist, and mordant wit.

Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) was one of the most quotable writers of the 20th century. Though her witty remarks are perhaps better remembered than her literary achievements, she published several acclaimed collections of short stories and poems. Early in her career as a Vanity Fair writer and theater critic, she gained fame as a founding member of the infamous Algonquin Round Table. This fame helped fuel Parker's dual ascent as author and celebrity. While more often associated with New York, she spent considerable time in Hollywood as a screenwriter. In this latest biography, Crowther, author of The Haunted Reader and Sylvia Plath, explores the substance of these years. Much of Parker's screenwriting was uncredited, yet she earned two Oscar nominations, including for the original A Star Is Born (1937). This period also sparked her active involvement in civil rights issues, which continued through her final years. Crowther traces Parker's tumultuous marriages, love affairs, and the spiraling course of her erratic personal life, marred by lengthy bouts of alcoholism, suicide attempts, and a reputation for mean-spirited conduct. Parker’s life has been well documented, notably in Marion Meade's Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This? (1987). Crowther seeks to provide an updated clinical examination of how shattering experiences, especially Parker's two miscarriages, likely exacerbated her volatile behavior and potentially stunted greater literary productivity. Though credible, the author fails to deeply examine whether Parker may in fact have grappled with serious undiagnosed mental health issues. Parker was undeniably talented and charismatic, yet the story of her long, staggering decline and her unrelenting self-destructive excesses can wear thin. Crowther's relatively succinct portrait benefits from its comparable brevity to previous volumes on Parker's life.

An ambitious, thoughtfully researched portrait of an often brilliant yet irascible talent.