Humor Writers a la mode

[Zeno]

GA & ND: I have a few of P.J. O'Rouke's books and thoroughly enjoyed his Holidays in Hell (reports from hellholes around the world) and Parliament of Whores (P.J. explains the U.S. Government).

4 2 it: The Onion is superb and I have The Onion's Finest News Reporting, Volume One. Here is a sample article that I liked because it was so twisted, my kind of humor: New Study Revels: Babies Are Stupid


This brings me to the subject of anthologies of humor which can be a great source to learn about not so well known humorists and authors that you may not have suspected that engaged in humor writing on a small scale. E.B. Whites Subtreasury of American Humor is just one example. Somewhat old-fashion but still very good.

-Zeno

[jbrent33]

Carl Hiassen is my favorite humorist. You might know him as the author of the classic Demi Moore vehicle "Striptease" All of his books are equally awesome, but if I had to pick one it would probably be Sick Puppy. Here is a review:
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From Publishers Weekly
Florida muckraker Hiaasen once again produces a devilishly funny caper revolving around the environmental exploitation of his home state by greedy developers. When budding young ecoterrorist Twilly Spree begins a campaign of sabotage against a grotesque litterbug named Palmer Stoat, he gets much more than he bargained for.


Stoat is a political fixer, involved with a bevy of shady types: Dick Artemus, ex-car salesman, now governor; Robert Clapley, a crooked land developer with an unhealthy interest in Barbie dolls; and his business expediter, Mr. Gash, a permed reptilian thug with ghastly musical tastes: "All morning he drove back and forth across the old bridge, with his favorite 911 compilation in the tape deck: Snipers in the Workplace, accompanied by an overdub of Tchaikowsky's Symphony No. 3 in D Major."


After a wave of preemptive strikes centered on a garbage truck and a swarm of dung beetles, Twilly ups the ante and kidnaps both Palmer's dog and his wife, Desie, who finds Twilly a great deal more interesting than her slob of a husband.


In doing so Twilly uncovers a conspiracy (well, more like business as usual) to jam a bill through the Florida legislature to develop Toad Island, a wildlife sanctuary, in a deal that will make a mint for all the politicos concerned. Chapley wants Twilly silenced and dispatches Mr. Gash. Palmer wants his wife and dog back and asks Dick Artemus to help in the rescue without derailing the bill.


Who should be called upon but the good cop/bad psycho duo of Trooper Jim Tile and ex-Governor Clinton Tyree, aka Skink or the Captain, whose recurring appearances throughout Hiaasen's novels have made for hysterical farce.


While there may be nothing laughable about unchecked environmental exploitation, Hiaasen has refined his knack for using this gloomy but persistent state of affairs as a prime mover for scams of all sorts. In Sick Puppy, he shows himself to be a comic writer at the peak of his powers. 200,000 first printing; first serial to Men's Journal; Literary Guild alternate; simultaneous audiobook. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc

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[adsman]

Hiassen's earlier stuff was much better. Tourist Season and Skintight spring to mind.

[Phat Mack]

Robert Letham isn't known as a humorist, but his book, Motherless Brooklyn, had me laughing so hard on a flight to Vegas a couple of weeks ago that the stewardess good-naturedly threatened to confiscate it.

Just to be ornery, I'll nominate Anthony Powell. If Marcel Proust's publisher got tired of waiting for him to finish Remembrance of Things Past, fired him, and turned the project over to P.G Wodehouse, he'd have wound up with AP's Dance to the Music of Time. Nothing much happens for the first 500 pages, but several jokes are set up for the delivery of their punch line 2-3000 pages later. Not recommended for anyone under 50, as they won't understand the magnitude of the jokes that life is getting ready to play on them.

[Zeno]

Before this thread settles into the sunset, I wish to mention a few books that most humor aficionados would enjoy, especially the more cranky: The Portable Curmudgeon, The Portable Curmudgeon Redux, The Traveling Curmudgeon all edited by Jon Winokur, and The Book of Poisonous Quotes, compiled by Colin M. Jarman. Jon Winokur is coming out soon with a "The Big Curmudgeon" so that may be a better pick up than the separate books. I assure all that the above books, that include quotes from a whole host of humorists and others, are well worthwhile.

On a last note, The Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations is a pleasent book to have and can get you through many a dull afternoon or night.

It's an odd job, making people laugh. - Molière


-Zeno

[NajdorfDefense]

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Hiassen's earlier stuff was much better. Tourist Season and Skintight spring to mind.

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Agreed, tourist Season and Double Whammy are terrific.

[NajdorfDefense]

Most people know Confederacy of Dunces and Catch-22, one of the alltime greatest, funniest books is J.P. Donleavy's The Ginger Man. A few decades back but piss-your-pants funny.

[Grifter]

I don't know if he would be classified as a 'Humorist' but David Foster Wallace seems to constantly make me laugh. His essays in "Consider the Lobster" consist of academic musings on pop culture (sort of like a hyperliterate Chuck Klosterman,) and in the first essay, which happened to be about the AVN awards, I found myself laughing out loud at least once a page. I haven't read his novels yet, but perhaps someone else can vouch for thier humor.

[KJS]

Seems pretty overexposed right now but no one gets me laughing like David Sedaris.

KJS

[KJS]

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I don't know if he would be classified as a 'Humorist' but David Foster Wallace seems to constantly make me laugh.

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He was one of the first I thought of too. His bit in "Supposedly Fun Thing..." about the conflict between the customer is always right and the customer should never carry his own luggage is awesome.

KJS