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Deadline Poet: My Life As a Doggerelist
The popular syndicated columnist offers a collection of droll verse dealing with diverse subjects ranging from Saddam Hussein to the Philadelphia Phillies, along with essays about his development as a poet inspired by an impatient muse. Reprint. National ad/promo.
196 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1994
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About the author
Calvin Trillin
87 books278 followersCalvin (Bud) Marshall Trillin is an American journalist, humorist, and novelist. He is best known for his humorous writings about food and eating, but he has also written much serious journalism, comic verse, and several books of fiction.
Trillin attended public schools in Kansas City and went on to Yale University, where he served as chairman of the Yale Daily News and became a member of Scroll and Key before graduating in 1957; he later served as a trustee of the university. After a stint in the U.S. Army, he worked as a reporter for Time magazine before joining the staff of The New Yorker in 1963. His reporting for The New Yorker on the racial integration of the University of Georgia was published in his first book, An Education in Georgia. He wrote the magazine's "U.S. Journal" series from 1967 to 1982, covering local events both serious and quirky throughout the United States.
Trillin attended public schools in Kansas City and went on to Yale University, where he served as chairman of the Yale Daily News and became a member of Scroll and Key before graduating in 1957; he later served as a trustee of the university. After a stint in the U.S. Army, he worked as a reporter for Time magazine before joining the staff of The New Yorker in 1963. His reporting for The New Yorker on the racial integration of the University of Georgia was published in his first book, An Education in Georgia. He wrote the magazine's "U.S. Journal" series from 1967 to 1982, covering local events both serious and quirky throughout the United States.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 19, 2009
Light but not memorable, the best parts were the memoir bits connecting the poems. The poems themselves, being extremely topical and, of course, light, don't hold up very well decades later. Trillin made me giggle a few times, and I enjoy his voice, but I think I'll stick to his food writing in the future.
December 19, 2023
Clever is a word that may turn you off but Trillin’s amusing poetry seems the perfect way to skewer politicians of all stripes. And although this selection was focused mostly around the Bush-Quayle and Clinton-Gore terms, the themes are sadly often-repeating.
October 24, 2015
I have always liked Calvin Trillin. He is funny, irreverent, and a keen observer of the political scene. I enjoy his dry wit and often self-deprecating humor.
Having said all that, this book was a bit of a letdown. This is not the fault of the author. I think political humor does not age well, as so much of the meaning (and satire/sarcasm/irony) is bound up in current events. When they are current, the barbs are funny. After the fact, not so much. It helped that I lived through the period he was describing, and could relate to the key personalities and events he was lampooning. Even then, it felt like the literary equivalent of listening to "America's Top 40" radio show from thirty years ago - mildly interesting and more than a little dated.
The best parts of the book for me dealt with Mr. Trillin's comments about the press, being a syndicated columnist and political pundit, and the foibles and failing of his peers in the Fourth Estate. His thumbnail sketch of the presidents and their key cabinet members were amusing (if somewhat skewed to the left of center), and I found his unwillingness to savage first Lady Barbara Bush (she was just too darned nice) endearing.
If you are a familiar with American politics and world events in the last quarter of the 20th Century, you will probably find this witty and amusing. Without that context, a modern reader will be left somewhat flat. I would enjoy a chronicle of more recent events by the same author.
Next up: Dogfight: The 2012 Presidential Campaign in Verse. I can't wait!
Having said all that, this book was a bit of a letdown. This is not the fault of the author. I think political humor does not age well, as so much of the meaning (and satire/sarcasm/irony) is bound up in current events. When they are current, the barbs are funny. After the fact, not so much. It helped that I lived through the period he was describing, and could relate to the key personalities and events he was lampooning. Even then, it felt like the literary equivalent of listening to "America's Top 40" radio show from thirty years ago - mildly interesting and more than a little dated.
The best parts of the book for me dealt with Mr. Trillin's comments about the press, being a syndicated columnist and political pundit, and the foibles and failing of his peers in the Fourth Estate. His thumbnail sketch of the presidents and their key cabinet members were amusing (if somewhat skewed to the left of center), and I found his unwillingness to savage first Lady Barbara Bush (she was just too darned nice) endearing.
If you are a familiar with American politics and world events in the last quarter of the 20th Century, you will probably find this witty and amusing. Without that context, a modern reader will be left somewhat flat. I would enjoy a chronicle of more recent events by the same author.
Next up: Dogfight: The 2012 Presidential Campaign in Verse. I can't wait!
June 18, 2018
Light verse that was amusing but not memorable even at the time it was written & definitely doesn't hold up years later tied together with less amusing background information/explanation of the people/events he was writing about in the hope that it would make sense when taken out of the context of the political magazine the poetry was written for but it just makes it rather tedious. Not his best effort
July 19, 2007
the master humorist chronicles bush i to clinton years in doggerel verse. hilarious.
August 19, 2009
Laugh. Out. Loud.
gave-up-on
December 4, 2013Not my cup of tea. I read about 40 pages, but it failed to engage me.
September 20, 2016
A joy.
Read
April 29, 2021October 2008, Betsy G, NonFiction
February 28, 2022
I adore Calvin Trillin, and it was an interesting experience reliving past decades through his eyes and verse. His doggerel gave me lots of good laughs.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews