Pretty sure that both myself and everyone I know is not on the list. But have you ever wondered who makes a very funny person laugh? According to “Andy,” this is the list.
Brought together in this Library of America collection are America’s fifty funniest writers—according to acclaimed writer and comedian Andy Borowitz. Reaching back to Mark Twain and forward to contemporary masters such as David Sedaris, Nora Ephron, Roy Blount Jr., Ian Frazier, Bernie Mac, Wanda Sykes, and George Saunders, The 50 Funniest American Writers* is an exclusive Who’s Who of the very best American comic writing.
Here are Thurber and Perelman, Lenny Bruce and Bruce Jay Friedman, Garrison Keillor, Dave Barry, and Veronica Geng, plus hilarious lesser-known pieces from The New Yorker, Esquire, The Atlantic, National Lampoon, and The Onion. Who does “one of the funniest people in America” (CBS Sunday Morning) read when he needs a laugh?
Sublimely funny I’m a fan of humor anthologies and have a collection that includes books by E.B. White, Gene Shalit, and many more. This is the best because it was assembled by one of the funniest guys around, Andy Borowitz, the first winner of the National Press Club’s award for comedy and the guy behind the Borowitz Report, the most hilarious tweet feed there is. I grabbed my copy as soon as it arrived yesterday and read for an hour, enjoying old favorites and finding new favorites. Borowitz begins with Twain but instead of the usual jumping frog or whitewashed fence he makes an unexpected but absolutely perfect and timely choice with Twain’s declaration of his candidacy for President. I was delighted to see George Ade, Charles Portis, Frank Sullivan, and Peter DeVries included — for different reasons, all four have been neglected and all four merit thoughtful reconsideration. Their selections are also superbly chosen. I was even more delighted to find that Orchid Thief author Susan Orlean could be so funny, to see many of my current favorites like Sloane Crosley and David Rakoff and Wanda Sykes, and to be introduced to authors who are new to me like Jenny Allen and Henry Beard and Larry Wilmore. Dave Barry’s discussion of men, women, and relationships and Bernie Mac’s description of African-American funerals are priceless. The piece by Donald Barthelme on the questionnaire about writers and drinking and the Molly Ivins about Texas politics, “the finest form of free entertainment ever invented” are among my favorites because they show how the simple recitation of actual facts can be funnier than anything you could exaggerate or make up. This book is a treasure trove of laughter and an ideal gift for anyone who needs to be cheered up or refreshed, which these means just about everyone you know.
A Perfect Collection Andy Borowitz: humorist and creator of the always entertaining Borowitz Report, has done the supposedly undoable, and done it flawlessly.This anthology has both obvious and surprising selections – all of them, however, are sure to make even the most rigid stoics wet the pages from tears of uncontrollable laughter. On that note – other reviews are misleading when they say this book is only laugh-out-loud funny, this is not true. It is cry-out-loud funny.The reason why some reviews are three stars and lower is because those reviewers found it necessary to rate down an entire anthology (of only 50 writers!) simply because it does not contain one of their favorite writers. Disregard these reviews; such an anthology cannot contain every writer every Amazon reviewer considers humorous. Remember the title, folks: “The 50 Funniest American Writers*, *According to Andy Borowitz.”In sum, excellent writers and pieces, hilarious book overall – also it is a pleasantly quick read, and a quicker and perhaps more enjoyable re-read.Do not second-guess this purchase, do yourself and Mr. Borowitz a favor and buy this wonderful book.
Excellent bathroom reading. And I mean that as a compliment. Andy Borowitz is hilarious, and this collection of works that have made him laugh and influenced his humor is extremely funny. He generously, perhaps too modestly, steps aside and lets the works themselves do their thing without introducing them individually. While I know I would’ve enjoyed whatever he had to say, I admire his choice. It feels as though a trusted friend has lent me a bunch of his books and marked the good bits.Borowitz also excludes his own writing from the collection, which in the self-promoting, self-publishing frenzy of today is nearly unheard of. There are absent writers I would’ve loved to see included, but this is the 50 Funniest Writers *According to him, not to me. Life would be quite boring if we all agreed on this sort of thing and we’d never read anyone new, so reviewers, such complaint will grow tiresome quite quickly. Let’s cut it out.This collection is perfect for bathroom reading. Some of the longer pieces are particularly good for constipated times. And nothing helps move things along like a good laugh. Kudos to Borowitz for a fine collection.