Snicker you not at this prose
When editors at The Atlantic Monthly celebrated their magazine鈥檚 150th anniversary, they paid homage to the category of 鈥渉umorous essay鈥� with the works of four writers: Mark Twain, James Thurber, Kurt Vonnegut, and Ian Frazier.
Company like that is what you鈥檇 call the icing on the top of the cr猫me de la cr猫me. If you鈥檙e curious as to why Frazier (a longtime writer for the New Yorker) rates so high, try reading the title essay of his collection Lamentations of the Father. (It鈥檚 also the selection included to run with Twain et al.)
Capturing the rant of a contemporary dad in biblical prose, Frazier decrees, 鈥淥f the beasts of the field, and of the fishes of the sea, and of all foods that are acceptable in my sight you may eat, but not in the living room.鈥� He goes on to implore, 鈥淏ite not, lest you be cast into quiet time. Neither drink of your own bathwater, nor bathwater of any kind鈥� and further warns them, 鈥淔or I will come to you at the first of the month and at the fifteenth of the month with the bills and a great whining and moan. 鈥�
Frazier鈥檚 is a dry and sometimes a dark wit. He touches on the stresses and strains of family life but also uses the absurd to mock our self-promoting and celebrity-obsessed culture.
In 鈥淭omorrow鈥檚 Bird鈥� he envisions himself as a pitchperson for crows (鈥淐rows: We Want to Be Your Only Bird鈥� is the slogan he suggests.) In 鈥淢y Wife Liz鈥� he insists he is a forgotten husband of the much-
married Elizabeth Taylor. (鈥淎sk anyone about Ms. Taylor鈥檚 husbands and you鈥檒l get the usual recitation of Mike Todd and Eddie Fisher and Richard Burton and John Warner and so on with never a mention of me.... It hurts to be left out.鈥�)
Frazier鈥檚 range in this collection stretches from global warming to his wife鈥檚 ire at the way he loads the dishwasher. His career at large has caromed from a meaningful interest in the American West and native Americans (鈥�Great Plains鈥� and 鈥淥n the Rez鈥�) to essays on New York (鈥淕one to New York鈥�) to other humorous bits (鈥淒ating Your Mom鈥�).
Being a funny guy doesn鈥檛 always mesh with being a smart guy. In Frazier鈥檚 case, however, the two seem one and the same.
Marjorie Kehe is the Monitor鈥檚 book editor. Send comments to kehem@csps.com.
