Friday Flashback: Rec. #188: Metropolitan Life

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some earlier posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand. 

What: Fran Lebowitz, author of the 1974 essay collection Metropolitan Life, has often been compared to Dorothy Parker. This comparison is trite, but accurate. Which, of course, leads us to . . . lots of quotes (below).

Comparable to: Dorothy Parker. I just said so. Also, all those collections of humorous essays that have been published in the last ten years? By David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell, David Rakoff, and basically anyone else from This American Life? They all owe a heck of a lot to Lebowitz.

Representative quotes:
"Having been unpopular in high school is not just cause for book publication." --- from "Letters"

"Children respond inadequately to sardonic humor and veiled threats." --- from "Children: Pro or Con?"

"He is audibly tan." --- from "My Day: An Introduction of Sorts"

"I love sleep because it is both pleasant and safe to use." --- from "Why I Love Sleep"

"There is no such thing as inner peace. There is only nervousness or death. Any attempt to prove otherwise constitutes unacceptable behavior." --- from "Manners"

You might not like it if: Like Parker, Lebowitz will go a long way for a pun. This can get exhausting.

How to get it: After the success of Martin Scorsese's documentary on Fran Lebowitz (Public Speaking), we got a rerelease of The Fran Lebowitz Reader. It includes both Metropolitan Life and Social Studies. It's also Kindle-able.

Connection to previous Wreckage: I suggested The Portable Dorothy Parker during Personal Wreck Week (List #3).



[Originally posted 10/2/12.]