Complete Stories (Penguin Classics)

Dorothy Parker was born on August 22, 1893 and went to meet her maker in 1967. In her lifetime, she published numerous short stories for popular magazines of the day, including Vogue, Vanity Fair, the Saturday Evening Post, the Ladies Home Journal, Everybody's, and Life. She wrote poetry for the New Yorker magazine. Accordingly, there are 48 short stories and 9 sketches included in the compilation, Dorothy Parker Complete Stories, published in 1995 by Penguin Books. They are among the best stories I've read in recent months--if not, years. Dorothy Parker's writing is just as incredibly perceptive, insightful, intelligent; clever, and witty; refreshing and alive, whether she is describing an ordinary domestic arrangement or a quaint social gathering. In the process, she gets the same rise and gut reaction out of me that I would achieve if I were attempting to scale Mount Kilimanjaro, from the story-line of some dramatic adventure novel. Her uncanny ability to drive home her point impresses me just as much as if I were about to ascend to the peak. She does so without actually coming out and specifying what she means, by way of long drawn-out explanations or tawdry apologies. Not by any stretch of the imagination. She gives me the impression of having been an adamant, difficult, and unyielding woman. Cornered by adversity, I think she would have gotten the upper hand, without having to resort to biting, kicking, scratching, throwing punches and daggers. As they say these days, "It is what it is." Then, just when you begin to think the author must have been "tough as nails" in her day-to-day business dealings throughout life, she reveals her vulnerable, insecure, all-too-human side. "Bless her heart." You get the distinct feeling that you should emulate her; be more compassionate and considerate of others. You want to hug somebody, protect them, cover a loved one with a warm blanket, and bring her some hot cocoa. On the flip side, she could be a real fashion plate. You can see it through her characterization. Meticulous. No detail too small. Glamorous. Stunning in her debut. Decked out in her finest jewelry. She knew her place in society and possessed all of the social graces and proper etiquette. It was sufficient enough to turn the wheels of commerce. R. Royce opened the statement from the bank and glanced at the most recent deposit amount. He thought about their job assignment in Atlantic City several years back at a modern hotel, owned by the eccentric entrepreneur, "Mugsy" Malone. The assignment was still paying regular dividends, so to speak. Until Cornelius Korn, his friend and business associate, got involved, running the hotel had been a simple, straight-forward collaboration, run by Malone, himself, the hotel accommodations manager, the food and beverage manager, and the entertainment director. The establishment was not too extravagant, but profitable, without having any gaming devices or gambling machines on the premises. The guests were attracted mainly by the the hotel's fine cuisine, the rotation of talented musicians, a relaxing, care-free atmosphere, and the affordability of the rooms. Essentially, it was a nice place to stay for a few days, hassle-free and pleasantly enjoyable. One day, during the winter off-season, there was a severe snow storm and some of the employees asked Malone if they could bring up cots and spend the night in a couple of vacant suites. He readily agreed, not wanting anyone to become stranded on the way home; or call in the next day, due to lack of transportation services. He soon became aware that several employees had organized a dollar poker game in one of the suites. He didn't particularly mind, but at the same time, he did not want anyone losing their grocery- or rent-money to any unscrupulous card sharks among the group. So, he limited their activity. He provided a nominal Christmas bonus to each of the card players and declared that the game would have to end at or sometime before midnight, so they could be fresh and alert at work the following day. All of the participants thoroughly enjoyed the small-stakes poker game. It was an ice-breaking event and a pleasant diversion from their daily activities. So, Malone allowed the practice to continue, on an infrequent, seasonal basis, so long as things did not get completely out of hand. One cold, snowy day, the following winter, he went up to one of the vacant suites to see how the employees spending the night were doing. There was plenty of laughter and holiday cheer, as might be expected. He was surprised to find that the employees now had three poker tables set up, a dollar, a ten-dollar, and a hundred-dollar table, with players all around. Naturally, Malone grew concerned that things were really beginning to get out of hand. Before long, his hotel would be hosting poker games for their guests, without his knowledge or consent, which would invite all kinds of problems and legal concerns he didn't need. He decided then and there to put an end to the poker games at the hotel altogether. About that time, Malone contacted Cornelius Korn's Executive Security Agency for assistance and professional advice. Korn readily agreed that Malone should put a stop to the poker games in his hotel. "They invite nothing but heart-ache and trouble," Korn told him. Always thinking outside the box, however, Korn added that if Malone were serious about getting involved with the spectator sport of poker, maybe he should consider sponsoring an annual poker tournament somewhere in the Caribbean Islands, where it would be completely legal and taxes are low or non-existent. He came up with the idea of live-streaming, internet-based, pay-for-view, fantasy poker. "You've heard of 'fantasy football,' right," said Korn. "It would be very similar. Customers, using their credit cards, access a live poker game in progress on some obscure island nation in paradise. They pick a particular player of their choice and follow the poker game for as long as they like for a fee. The added benefit of picking the player is, the customer is allowed to view the cards that the player is dealt, see the bets he makes, and monitor his stacks of chips. Plus, he gets to view practically every winning hand, the exception being, of course, when a winning opponent is not required to show his hand, because all of the other players decided to fold. Admittedly, you have to agree, these are powerful features. Most importantly, the customer gets the thrill of watching a complete poker game, without incurring any risk of gambling losses whatsoever." "You may have latched onto a brilliant idea," said Malone, "that could prove to be worth a sizable fortune. I'm going to do further research into the matter. There's a creative I.T. consultant I know personally, who can follow through on the project." Cornelius Korn telephoned R. Royce. "Did your deposit from Switzerland post to the bank yet?" he inquired. "A sure bet," said Royce. "The premium-quality $59,000 annuity came in like clock-work." "Ditto here," said Korn. "Do you remember how we avoided the potential problems we encountered at Malone's Hotel?" "Very clearly," said Royce. "Like it was yesterday. Alexis Sue walked up and asked you a simple question about a couple of smart aleck hoodlums trying to set up a new poker game in the hotel. She opened her purse and was about to extract a sub-compact semi-automatic." "That's right," said Alexis Sue. "I asked Cornelius if he wanted me to do them both then and there. They were belligerent and disrespectful by their very nature. Rude, crude, and terribly insulting." "We had just returned from following them in separate vehicles. We found out where they lived and worked," said Raquel Remington, the fourth member of their security team. "You immediately silenced her, by putting your index finger up to your lips, saying that we might want to check into their backgrounds first." "You can never be too careful who's listening," said Korn. "Suffice it to say we resolved the issue by running the necessary background interference." "If I remember correctly, you contacted the wise-guys' Big-boss, who happened to be their Grandfather, and convinced him to take their business elsewhere. He reluctantly agreed," said Royce. "The competition is killing me," the Grandfather had said at the time. "Yes, he certainly had to consider the longevity and profitability of his own gaming interests," retorted Korn. "He backed away quickly, when the subject of the New Jersey State Gaming Commission was mentioned. They simply shut down their tables and removed themselves to another location. Therefore, the matter was resolved peaceably without too many more complications." "We had Mugsy Malone to thank for that," said Royce. He never gave in to outside pressures. He ran a clean, debt-free, highly successful hotel business. And he always dealt fairly and squarely with his partners. God rest his soul." "The newspaper reported that 27 bullets were fired into his vehicle late one evening. No witnesses stepped forward." said Raquel. "Any of three that hit him in the upper torso, may have been the ones that killed him." "We know better than that, don't we?" exclaimed Korn. "Who do you think signs our security checks?"

Good price, good condition. Fantastic writing.

Zing! Zing! Zing! This delightful collection of Dorothy Parker's short stories is filled with zingers--and in the beginning, they hit you by surprise. But keep reading, and it all gets a bit dull, tedious and predictable. Same style. Same story. Over and over.I've been thinking a lot about this book. It is a must-read for the serious student of the short story. Parker, who is considered one of the best writers of the short story, was known for her wit and satire, which she aimed directly at the spoiled New York City upper crust living in the first half of the 20th century. Her short stories appeared in top magazines, including The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Harper's Bazaar to name only a few. But they were published as one-offs. Read it and be done. Assembling them in one book becomes problematic. It's wonderful to have a complete collection, but about halfway through, I found they were way too monotonous for enjoyment.About the stories: They have very little to no plot; instead, they focus on relationships--primarily, but not exclusively, on women and their relationships with men, with each other and with the world. And there is LOTS of drinking! Parker writes of ordinary activities--a ladies' tea, a party, a speakeasy, a deathwatch--about ordinary people having ordinary conversations, but skewers it all so biases, prejudices, haughtiness and many human foibles are on full display.--There is a married couple who appear to others to be so happy and satisfied with their lives, but have nothing to say to each other; their friends are shocked when they separate.--A woman who goes on and on and on about how she isn't prejudiced, but her every word tells the opposite.--Two young women get together in the middle of the afternoon, drink gin and chit-chat about parties and clothes and then complain about their friends who do nothing but drink, go to parties and buy new clothes.My father kept a well-worn copy of "The Portable Dorothy Parker" in the bathroom. I'm thinking that's the best way to read this--a little at a time.

Dorothy Parker is almost as witty as Oscar Wilde. The writing style is enjoyable, sometimes hilarious and the stories are fantastic.

. Dorothy Parker live most of her life in hotel rooms, because she would rather starve than boil an egg, and smell than wash her own clothes. Her reason, also true, was, "I just need a place to lay my hat and a few friends".. This biography is complete and helpful. It was a slog to get through the names of the many has-beens that populated her world. I gave it only 4 stars because of those many mentioned without explanation of who they were and why they mattered; and because the subject was such a bum. Another example of how brains, money, and arrogance combine to make a ruined life. Dorothy was brilliant, and her sharp wit entertained thousands during her reign. She wrote about her friends, drinking, money, unfaithfulness- the total of the lives of her many moneyed friends in New York City and Hollywood. An elitist by nature and arrogant by choice, she and her group are shown as desperate, lazy, unhappy, unsober; and quick to criticize the sober, happy, and hardworking for the sin of being boring.. This is an indictment of the entire New York theater scene, and leftists of all stripes for good measure. Yes, I enjoyed it- and I'll never read it again.

This book is well formatted for Kindle readers. Good to have Dorothy Parker on hand in convenient e-reader.

A great example of Parker’s brilliant writing skills and wit. I would have loved to share a cocktail Orr two with her

この作品集の中に "The Blonde" という小編がある。米国の高校で英語の授業で読んだ。当時のテーマが人の死について知ること（Death education）だったが、この作品は生きながら死んでいる状態とはどういうことかということを、華々しいニューヨークを舞台に美しい一金髪女性を主人公に描いている。今40代になって読み返して、人生のつらさ、なぜうまく行かないのか、針に突かれるような痛みをともに、改めて深く感じ入る。この一編を読むためだけでも、お勧めしたい。

This is a wonderful collection of DP's short stories. Crackling, dynamic, wicked humour- a hoot. Dare I say it: the perfect gift or bedside book.

Useful for the scholar and the non-academic reader

Wonderful, heart warming and funny and gives a great picture of the time in New York . Made my commute to work enjoyable