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A Reader Asks: Why Leave Out Dawn Powell?

Filed under: Letters & Challenges Tagged: books, Dawn Powell, Dorothy Parker, fiction

Europhile Bailey Alexander writes:

Cherie Emily,

My name is Bailey Alexander and my husband and I live in Paris with a second home in Malta, but still manage a business in Seattle, albeit long distance. I rarely go back to the States, but I love reading the blogs, like Wolcott’s, your own, Glenn Greenwald, and Daily Kos.

My point? Well, I’ve always been a fan of The New Yorker as well as Dorothy Parker, certo, but why the conspicuous absence of our/America’s greatest comedic writer, Dawn Powell? She was the real deal, where Dorothy was more of an "It" personality. Dorothy could do the quip, the perfect short story every now and then, but Dawn did the novel. The novel.

Gore Vidal and Hemingway always acknowledged her as our finest satire queen and give/gave her the due she deserves, but why don’t you? Your site could prove the perfect position to launch Powell from cult status to religion, n’est pas?

She was not celebrated by the publishers of her time because she didn’t write about the war, but rather chose to focus on women and men on the make in New York, mostly from the Midwest, basically, most of those that made New York happen, culturally. She was the original doyenne of Greenwich Village; her satire is unmatched by or rather only equaled by Evelyn Waugh, etc.

Just curious.

A fan.

Bailey Alexander

Send letters for publication to letters@emdashes.com. If you'd prefer to remain anonymous, please let me know. Emails to my personal account are never published without permission.

5 comments

Comments

An example of Dawn Powell's wit comes from the diary entry I published on my website on February 23.

Brian

Brian SholisFebruary 28, 2007

Which is great. I also know, courtesy of our friend I Hate The New Yorker, that you reprint a 1946 memo from Harold Ross to E.B. White on your site this week. It begins: "I found your note about the BIDE-A-WEE HOME FOR VERBS idea two minutes after you left my office the other day, as expected. Hence I am reminded that you spoke of putting a notice on the bulletin board calling for nauseating verbs. I favor your doing this, and I hope the results will be successful."

EmdashesFebruary 28, 2007

I love how long he goes on about the bulletin board. So, so funny.

zpFebruary 28, 2007

Bailey Alexander is right! Powell's novels chronicle the decline of respectability with enormous good humor.

R J KeefeMarch 06, 2007

Hi

Looks good! Very useful, good stuff. Good resources here. Thanks much!

G'night

govokinolijJuly 13, 2007

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