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.