Candy Is dandy But liquor Is quicker. These inimitable lines could only have been written by Ogden Nash, the American nonpareil of light verse and one of the most remarkable figures in American letters. His keen grasp of human nature and a unique style of verse made him, in the mid-twentieth century, the most widely read and frequently quoted poet of his time. For years, readers have longed for a biography to match Nash's charm, wit, and good nature; now we have it in Douglas Parker's absorbing and delightful life of the poet. My garden will never make me famous, I'm a horticultural ignoramus, I can't tell a stringbean from a soybean, Or even a girl bean from a boy bean. Ogden Nash grew up in Savannah, Georgia, went to prep school in Newport, Rhode Island, dropped out of Harvard after his freshman year, and soon after started work as an editor with Doubleday. When he began publishing humorous poems in the New Yorker, and later when he worked at the magazine, he became part of the literary circle that included E. B. and Katharine White, Dorothy Parker, Harold Ross, and S. J. Perelman. He went on to publish more than two dozen books of verse as well as screenplays, lyrics and scripts for the theater, children's stories, and essays. Douglas Parker, who has had exclusive access to family letters and diaries, and permission to quote liberally from them and from Nash's poems, has written a warm and inviting biography of the poet who reveled in pure whimsy and wordplay, but who was applauded by his more serious contemporaries. With 12 black-and-white photographs.

About the Author
Douglas Parker studied at the Cornell Law School, practiced corporate law in New York City, and served in the White House under President Nixon and in the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He is now retired from private practice and lives in South Orleans, Massachusetts.

Reviews
In this faithful and fascinating chronicle, Ogden Nash's triumphs and disappointments on Broadway and in Hollywood; his battles with writer's block and the bottle; his disparate careers as poet, lyricist, editor, film writer, radio and television personality, courtly lover, and resident "Jesus" for Harold Ross of The New Yorker, are all revealed. Nash was a man without enemies; Douglas M. Parker's captivating biography should win him legions of new friends. -- X. J. Kennedy
Douglas Parker's superb biography of Ogden Nash is the book I would rather find in a hotel drawer than the Gideon Bible. Ironically, upon reading a Nash verse, I am invariably tempted to break the Commandment: thou shalt not steal. -- Mark Russell, political satirist
Now that humor has finally been released from the doghouse called 'light verse' and has reclaimed its rightful place in poetry, how well-timed is Douglas Parker's examination of the life and work of Ogden Nash, who refused to hide his joyful wit behind the long, serious mask donned by the writers of 'heavy verse.' -- Billy Collins
Douglas Parker's intelligent, informative, and engaging new biography fills a significant scholarly need in presenting the life and times of this neglected but important American poet. -- Dana Gioia
Parker's is a useful, highly readable biography of one of America's best-loved poets. * Publishers Weekly *
Well-researched. * Bloomberg *
Parker's biography may well lead to a new appreciation of Nash... -- Debra Lawless * Chatham Chronicle *
Explores the complex person behind the deceptively simple verse. -- Melanie Lauwers * Cape Cod Times *
I've marked page after page to treasure-for the skill of the friendly first-time biographer as well as the delights of the poet. -- Roderick Nordell * The Christian Science Monitor *
Admirably concise. -- Brad Leithauser * The Wall Street Journal *
Douglas Parker has given us an attractive book about an engaging writer. -- John M. and Priscilla S. Taylor * The Washington Times *
Capable biography... -- Jonathan Yardley * The Instrumentalist *
Parker narrates Nash's accomplishments with careful detail, sprinkling apt verse excerpts throughout to add lyrical detail. * Zentralblatt fur Geologie und Palaontologie *
Ogden Nash is an irresistible subject for biography. Douglas M. Parker, a former lawyer and public servant, has undertaken the task out of affection and admiration for his subject; his response to Nash is that of an intelligent layman to a unique talent. Without indulging in special pleading for Nash's importance, Parker's Ogden Nash is a temperate and carefully measured account. -- William H. Pritchard * Times Literary Supplement *
In the best of Nash we find a haiku of hilarity, a profound explication of the human condition. Parker has given us a levelheaded explanation of where Nash was coming from. * American Spectator *
Parker tells this life story smoothly.... Nash's legion of fans should find themselves satisfied at this total story. * Arkansas Democrat-Gazette *
Parker has done a tremendous service by writing this readable and workmanlike biography-the first biography of Nash, amazingly enough. * Books and Culture *
Douglas M. Parker, a retired Washington, D.C., lawyer, writes a solid biography of Ogden Nash (1902-1971), perhaps America's most beloved versifier.... The author has done himself proud. It wouldn't bother citizens of the country much if more Washington lawyers took to writing biographies. * The Buffalo News *
Parker's finely written biography provides a thorough picture of Nash. The reference section is extensive and impressive. If you are a Nash fan to begin with, you will be more so upon completion of Parker's book. * Charleston Post and Courier *
This biography is a fine and overdue tribute to a good man who wrote very funny and sometimes sad light verse. It is particularly strong on Nash's ventures into musical theatre and his long involvement with the New Yorker. * Literary Review, (Uk) *
Parker's sympathetic appraisal reveals a man of adaptable talents. * The New Yorker *
Douglas M. Parker's biography tells his story with an abundance of detail. * The New York Times *
There seems to be a law of deceptive appearances requiring that anyone who wrote as much and as wittily as Ogden Nash must have been deeply troubled. However, according to Douglas M. Parker's carefully researched and authoritative new biography of the master of light verse, Nash violated that law as cavalierly as he broke the laws of rhyme and prosody. In Odgen Nash Parker shows that Nash was in fact the likable man that his poems suggest. Even when his verses are slightly acerbic, he describes universal experiences that strengthen the bonds of our humanity. * The Seattle Times *
Multi-faceted biography covers all aspects...and is a 'must' for any Nash reader. * Bookwatch *
Affectionately honest. -- Laurie Higgins * Upper Cape Codder *
Douglas M. Parker believes that Nash has become too little-known, and he makes a good case. -- Richard Wakefield * Light Quarterly *
Richly detailed....[An] affectionate look at Nash's life. -- Theresa Barnaby * Tri-City Herald *
A fast-paced, readable biography....One of the delights of Parker's book is its reprinting of Nash's pleasure-giving lines. -- Joseph Rosenblum * Magill's Literary Annual *
Really quite dandy to read by the fire whilst nibbling on candy...a good introduction to Nash. -- R.A. Bartlett * CHOICE *
[An] affectionate look at Nash's life.... Richly detailed with excerpts from family correspondence. * Tri-City Herald *
Worth Reading. -- Louis Phillips * Georgia Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9781566637299
Author Douglas M. Parker
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint Ivan R Dee, Inc
Publisher Ivan R Dee, Inc
Weight(grams) 458g
Dimensions(mm) 222mm * 141mm * 25mm