A founding member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of New York City writers, critics, and actors, Dorothy Parker rose to literary fame during the first part of the 20th century. An accomplished poet, writer, critic, satirist, playwright, and screenwriter, Parker was known for her sharp wit in describing 20th century urban life. Although she disliked this characterization, because she thought it undermined her writing, it is primarily for this reputation that her writing endures to this day. First published in 1926, “Enough Rope” is Parker’s first collection of poetry and was an immediate commercial and critical success. Containing many poems which first appeared in such famous magazines as “The New Yorker”, “Vanity Fair”, and “Life”, Parker’s collection was heralded not just for its brilliant wit but also its sometimes darker reflections on love, death, and the role of gender in America during the first part of the 20th century. For the uninitiated, “Enough Rope” provides an excellent introduction to the particular excellence of Parker’s writing.
