Dorothy Parker - Icon Profile | Alexandria
Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) was an American writer, critic, and founding member of the Algonquin Round Table whose mordant wit and incisive social commentary defined the literary voice of the Jazz Age. Born Dorothy Rothschild in Long Branch, New Jersey, she emerged as one of the most quoted writers of the 20th century, crafting a persona that merged intellectual sophistication with devastating humor and barely concealed melancholy.
Parker's first professional writings appeared in 1914 in Vanity Fair, where she began as a caption writer before ascending to theater critic. Her caustic reviews, while beloved by readers, eventually led to her dismissal—a testament to her uncompromising literary standards and razor-sharp tongue. This period coincided with the formation of the legendary Algonquin Round Table, a daily gathering of New York City's literary elite whose influence on American cultural life would extend far beyond their lunchtime repartee.
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Parker's poetry and short stories appeared in The New Yorker, Life, and Esquire, establishing her as a master of the form. Her collections, including "Enough Rope" (1926) and "Death and Taxes" (1931), showcased her signature blend of technical precision and emotional depth, often exploring themes of romance, death, and social hypocrisy. Lesser known but equally significant was her political activism; Parker co-founded the Hollywood Anti-Nazi League and left her entire estate to the NAACP, though her FBI file suggested deeper political intrigue.
Parker's legacy extends far beyond her oft-quoted witticisms ("Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses"). Her work presaged modern feminist literature, combining sharp social criticism with personal vulnerability in ways that continue to resonate. Contemporary writers from Nora Ephron to Fran Lebowitz acknowledge her influence, while her style of cultural commentary finds new relevance in today's digital age. The mysterious disappearance of her ashes, unclaimed for years before their eventual interment at NAACP headquarters, serves as a fitting metaphor for her complex legacy—sharp-tongued yet deeply humane, publicly brilliant yet privately troubled, and forever eluding simple categorization.