What do you think?
Rate this book
Alarms and Diversions
Another collection of Thurberiana, unique in that it contains a peppering of the author's favorites, also an introduction to his "serious comedy." Among the 32 stories lurk joyosities such as "The Lady of Orlon," "The Psychosemanticist Will See You Now, Mr. Thurber," "Get Thee to a Monastery" and "The Moribundant Life, or Grow Old Along with Whom?" "His writings will be a document of the age they belong to." --T.S. Eliot
367 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
8 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
James Thurber
357 books608 followersThurber was born in Columbus, Ohio to Charles L. Thurber and Mary Agnes (Mame) Fisher Thurber. Both of his parents greatly influenced his work. His father, a sporadically employed clerk and minor politician who dreamed of being a lawyer or an actor, is said to have been the inspiration for the small, timid protagonist typical of many of his stories. Thurber described his mother as a "born comedienne" and "one of the finest comic talents I think I have ever known." She was a practical joker, on one occasion pretending to be crippled and attending a faith healer revival, only to jump up and proclaim herself healed.
Thurber had two brothers, William and Robert. Once, while playing a game of William Tell, his brother William shot James in the eye with an arrow. Because of the lack of medical technology, Thurber lost his eye. This injury would later cause him to be almost entirely blind. During his childhood he was unable to participate in sports and activities because of his injury, and instead developed a creative imagination, which he shared in his writings.
From 1913 to 1918, Thurber attended The Ohio State University, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. He never graduated from the University because his poor eyesight prevented him from taking a mandatory ROTC course. In 1995 he was posthumously awarded a degree.
From 1918 to 1920, at the close of World War I, Thurber worked as a code clerk for the Department of State, first in Washington, D.C. and then at the American Embassy in Paris, France. After this Thurber returned to Columbus, where he began his writing career as a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch from 1921 to 1924. During part of this time, he reviewed current books, films, and plays in a weekly column called "Credos and Curios," a title that later would be given to a posthumous collection of his work. Thurber also returned to Paris in this period, where he wrote for the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers.
In 1925, he moved to Greenwich Village in New York City, getting a job as a reporter for the New York Evening Post. He joined the staff of The New Yorker in 1927 as an editor with the help of his friend and fellow New Yorker contributor, E.B. White. His career as a cartoonist began in 1930 when White found some of Thurber's drawings in a trash can and submitted them for publication. Thurber would contribute both his writings and his drawings to The New Yorker until the 1950s.
Thurber was married twice. In 1922, Thurber married Althea Adams. The marriage was troubled and ended in divorce in May 1935. Adams gave Thurber his only child, his daughter Rosemary. Thurber remarried in June, 1935 to Helen Wismer. His second marriage lasted until he died in 1961, at the age of 66, due to complications from pneumonia, which followed upon a stroke suffered at his home. His last words, aside from the repeated word "God," were "God bless... God damn," according to Helen Thurber.
Thurber had two brothers, William and Robert. Once, while playing a game of William Tell, his brother William shot James in the eye with an arrow. Because of the lack of medical technology, Thurber lost his eye. This injury would later cause him to be almost entirely blind. During his childhood he was unable to participate in sports and activities because of his injury, and instead developed a creative imagination, which he shared in his writings.
From 1913 to 1918, Thurber attended The Ohio State University, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. He never graduated from the University because his poor eyesight prevented him from taking a mandatory ROTC course. In 1995 he was posthumously awarded a degree.
From 1918 to 1920, at the close of World War I, Thurber worked as a code clerk for the Department of State, first in Washington, D.C. and then at the American Embassy in Paris, France. After this Thurber returned to Columbus, where he began his writing career as a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch from 1921 to 1924. During part of this time, he reviewed current books, films, and plays in a weekly column called "Credos and Curios," a title that later would be given to a posthumous collection of his work. Thurber also returned to Paris in this period, where he wrote for the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers.
In 1925, he moved to Greenwich Village in New York City, getting a job as a reporter for the New York Evening Post. He joined the staff of The New Yorker in 1927 as an editor with the help of his friend and fellow New Yorker contributor, E.B. White. His career as a cartoonist began in 1930 when White found some of Thurber's drawings in a trash can and submitted them for publication. Thurber would contribute both his writings and his drawings to The New Yorker until the 1950s.
Thurber was married twice. In 1922, Thurber married Althea Adams. The marriage was troubled and ended in divorce in May 1935. Adams gave Thurber his only child, his daughter Rosemary. Thurber remarried in June, 1935 to Helen Wismer. His second marriage lasted until he died in 1961, at the age of 66, due to complications from pneumonia, which followed upon a stroke suffered at his home. His last words, aside from the repeated word "God," were "God bless... God damn," according to Helen Thurber.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 1, 2016
When I bought this paperback second-hand I was too young to appreciate Thurber's prose properly. For the last couple of weeks I've been reading a story a night to put me in the right mood for reading non-fiction or for composing myself for sleep or for anything else. At last I'm old enough to appreciate the more sophisticated stories - "Am I not Your Rosalind" for instance - with their overtones of disappointment and moral frailty. I am also relishing the unabashedly literate style.
He's also still as funny as I remember him.
He's also still as funny as I remember him.
July 25, 2020
All things Thurber are worth reading many times
I was introduced to the world of Thurber in 1967. As many times as I read these stories I laugh again. Thurber was a young man in 1918 during the Spanish flu. Worth thinking about that the sun will come up a thousand more tomorrows. Hopefully humor will survives the tomorrows.
I was introduced to the world of Thurber in 1967. As many times as I read these stories I laugh again. Thurber was a young man in 1918 during the Spanish flu. Worth thinking about that the sun will come up a thousand more tomorrows. Hopefully humor will survives the tomorrows.
Read
November 29, 2023Mostly too dry. Some decent stuff in 'Holiday Rambling' and the bit about Loch Ness, but... I quit it because "life's too short for okay books" ;)
Read
December 28, 2024Either I don't like Turber as much as I used to, or this isn't necessarily his best work; probably both.
March 8, 2024
Must read. Excellent Americana.
August 11, 2012
James Thurber always makes me happy. This collection plods along in some points, but there are some definite gems, notably a short piece where he reprints some of his cartoons and writes about how he made them. I enjoyed the glimpse into his strange mind. Two of the fiction pieces in this are real jaw-droppers, one about a whippoorwill's call and another about the psychology of two couples hanging out after dinner. The book as a whole gives you a strong sense of who Thurber is as a writer. I think most of the pieces have been published in other collections.
January 27, 2017
This book was a mixed bag but I am glad to have read it.
I have read a lot of Thurber over the years and thought I pretty much knew him but I was surprised and pleased to discover a different side to his writing.
He has some of his usual humorous stories and essays in here but he also has serious pieces - a look at Paris just after the end of World War I, a touching memory of a lady he knew when he was a boy, little memories of growing up in Ohio... all wonderful.
Some of it reminded me a little of E.B.White. I only gave it 3 stars but the serious pieces here are worth more.
I have read a lot of Thurber over the years and thought I pretty much knew him but I was surprised and pleased to discover a different side to his writing.
He has some of his usual humorous stories and essays in here but he also has serious pieces - a look at Paris just after the end of World War I, a touching memory of a lady he knew when he was a boy, little memories of growing up in Ohio... all wonderful.
Some of it reminded me a little of E.B.White. I only gave it 3 stars but the serious pieces here are worth more.
June 17, 2012
3.5 of 5.
James Thurber is a favourite ever since I read his fables. I like his style well enough, but some of his stories are just not very interesting, or at least of no interest to me. Here are some faves from this book: "The Ladies of Orlon", "There's a Time for Flags", "The Figgerin' of Aunt Wilma", "The White Rabbit Caper", "My Own Ten Rules for a Happy Marriage", "There's No Place Like Home", and the drawn story "The Last Flower".
James Thurber is a favourite ever since I read his fables. I like his style well enough, but some of his stories are just not very interesting, or at least of no interest to me. Here are some faves from this book: "The Ladies of Orlon", "There's a Time for Flags", "The Figgerin' of Aunt Wilma", "The White Rabbit Caper", "My Own Ten Rules for a Happy Marriage", "There's No Place Like Home", and the drawn story "The Last Flower".
January 17, 2008
Short stories interlarded with a generous helping of Thurber's drawings and cartoons. Makes one regret not having lived when many of these stories and sketches originally appeared in The New Yorker.
August 4, 2014
Dad was quite a fan of James Thurber and had quite a number of his books in his collection which I read over the years of childhood.
January 13, 2012
An entertaining collection of cartoons and essays.
June 13, 2015
Though some tales are a bit obscure, I laughed out loud a LOT at this book. Thurber writes more modern than now... somehow. Also, the illustrations are excellent.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews