Benchley Beside Himself

by Robert Benchley

Benchley Beside Himself by Robert Benchley in Hardcover.

Genres: Essays, Humor, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1943

About the author

Works, including How to Sleep , the film of 1935, and My Ten Years in a Quandary , the book of 1936, of Robert Charles Benchley, humorist, critic, and actor, often pitted an average American against the complexities of modern life.

People best knew Robert Charles Benchley as a newspaper columnist. He began at the Lampoon and meanwhile attended Harvard University and wrote many essays and articles for Vanity Fair and The New Yorker.
From New York City and his peers at the Algonquin Round Table, short style brought acclaim, respect, and success to Benchley to contemporaries in the burgeoning industry.

Benchley contributed best remembered influential topical or absurdist essays to The New Yorker. He also made a name in Hollywood, when his popular success won best short subject at the academy awards of 1935, and his many memorable appearances in such as Foreign Correspondent of Alfred Joseph Hitchcock and a dramatic turn in Nice Girl? . He wrote his legacy in numerous short appearances.

Reviews

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writings of Robert Benchley are a major influence on my "365" series that I did last year (2014). As I was writing the narrations/essays, I thought of Benchley a great deal. I was impressed that he could write about everything that is under the sun and stars. Yet gave his own voice into the mix. It is like the singer in a big band - in that he or she is very much part of the whole arrangement, but not necessary the soloist, but part of a bigger package. I just have to imagine that he used to write his humorous pieces on a weekly or maybe even on a daily basis - so I had that in mind when I type out my stories. Nevertheless, beyond the influence, he was such a remarkable writer, who could squeeze the absurdity of everyday life as well as from the unknown. This is one excellent collection of his writings, but to be honest, they are all excellent. It took me about a year to read the entire book, because I had it by my bedside, and would read a few pieces a night - and then forget about it till three weeks later. I really recommend him if you're a writer. I think one can learn much from this master.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many years ago a friend told of reading a Benchley essay about bridge building. When I finally found it in this collection, my first thought was to check out the book to read just that essay.

I wish i had done that.

After reading the entire collection, i have to summarize my feelings by saying that Benchley is mildly amusing, but he’s no Thurber.

Only 2-3 of the other essays approached the level of amusement of the bridge building essay. Some were dated - for example the one about the difficulty of composing witty telegraph messages. Some had obscure themes or references that I failed to recognize or understand.

On the whole I can’t recommend taking the time to read the collection in its entirety.

But the bridge building essay holds up and is totally worth it.

[Chelsea K · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Doug Dams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a collection of Robert Benchley's humorous essays. He wrote essays and articles for "Vanity Fair" and "The New Yorker" from the 1920s through the 1940s. He set the standard for many of the humorists that followed him. The essays are usually short and deal with his life experiences and observations about events. Some of them speak to a bygone era such as essays about crossing the oceans in ships. Others about how he watches boxing, baseball and football still hold up. The humor is usually dry but there are a few good laughs in the stories. My favorites in this collection were his essay on why Roman numerals only appear on the cornerstones of buildings, trying to get a set of dishes shipped from Italy to New York, his Christmas stories, and "The Treasurer's Report". The essays are short so you can read a couple and put the book down. It was a good book to have when you needed a laugh every once and a while.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful collection - most hold up quite well.