Books: Parting Kicker

DEATH AND TAXES—Dorothy Parker—Viking ($1.75).

A racily conversational prose-puncher, a "critic" who makes you stop, look & listen by the amusing mock-violence of her own irrelevant reactions, Mrs. Parker has written, in Laments for the Living, some first-rate dialogs. But when her climate curdles her to rhyme, her curtness often turns to slightly acidulous whey. Poetess Parker's ideas can usually be contained in a quatrain though she often lets them wander farther. Death and Taxes has a few neat quatrains:


SANCTUARY </br> My Land is bare of chattering folk; </br> The clouds arc low along the ridges, </br>...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!