Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) is a literary legend famed for
her poetry, short stories, criticism, screenplays, and
dramas. She was a founding writer of The New Yorker in 1925
and a key member of the New York literary circle, the
Algonquin Round Table. During the Twenties, when she won
acclaim for her humorous verse and prize-winning short
stories such as "Big Blonde," she became known as the
wittiest woman in America. At various times in her life she
also wrote for Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Esquire. Not so well
known are her political beliefs: she helped unionize
Hollywood screenwriters, joined the Communist Party, and
worked on behalf of various left-wing causes. In the 1950s,
she was blacklisted in Hollywood. Her estate was bequeathed
to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She is buried in Baltimore,
at the headquarters of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People, which became her literary
executor following Dr. King's assassination. Today, four
decades after her death, Dorothy Parker remains one of the
most quoted writers in the world.