Art Buchwald
Art Buchwald | |
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Born | New York City, U.S. | October 20, 1925
Died | January 17, 2007 Washington, D.C., U.S. | (aged 81)
Alma mater | University of Southern California |
Occupation | Writer |
Spouse | Ann McGarry[1] |
Children | 3 |
Parent(s) | Helen and Joseph Buchwald |
Arthur Buchwald (BUK-wahld; October 20, 1925 – January 17, 2007) was an American humorist best known for his column in The Washington Post. At the height of his popularity, it was published nationwide as a syndicated column in more than 500 newspapers. His column focused on political satire and commentary.
Buchwald had first started writing as a paid journalist in Paris after
Early life
Buchwald was born in New York City in 1925, to an Austrian-
Buchwald was eventually reunited with his father and sisters; the family settled in Hollis, a residential community in Queens. Buchwald did not graduate from Forest Hills High School, and ran away from home at age 17.
He wanted to join the
Journalism
On his return, Buchwald enrolled at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on the G.I. Bill, despite not having graduated from high school. At USC he became managing editor of the campus magazine Wampus; he also wrote a column for the college newspaper, the Daily Trojan. The university permitted him to continue his studies after learning he had not graduated from high school, but deemed him ineligible for a degree. After establishing his national reputation and winning the Pulitzer Prize, he was invited as a commencement speaker in 1993 and received an honorary doctorate from the university.[3]
In 1949, Buchwald left USC and bought a one-way ticket to Paris. He got a job as a correspondent for
In postwar Paris, Buchwald met many American expatriate writers, going about with
In November 1952, Buchwald wrote a column in which he attempted to explain the Thanksgiving holiday to the French, using garbled French translations such as "Kilometres Deboutish" for Myles Standish; Buchwald considered it his favorite column.[3] He published it every Thanksgiving during his lifetime.[4]
Buchwald enjoyed the notoriety he received when U.S. President
While in Paris, Buchwald became the only correspondent to substantively interview famous American singer Elvis Presley, who had entered the US Army. They met at the Prince de Galles Hotel, where the soon-to-be Sergeant Presley was staying during a week-end off from his army stint in Germany. Presley's impromptu performances at the piano at Le Lido nightclub, as well as his singing for the showgirls after most of the customers had left, became legendary after Buchwald included it in his memoir, I'll Always Have Paris (1995).
Buchwald returned to the United States in 1962. He wrote as a columnist for
Marriage and family
During his time in Paris, Buchwald met Ann McGarry, and they married. She was an Irish-American apprentice
Film
Buchwald had a cameo in
He contributed to the English dialogue of Jacques Tati's Playtime.[9] Buchwald also had a cameo role in a 1972 episode, "Moving Target", of the TV series Mannix. He is shown in Frederick Wiseman's 1983 film The Store delivering a tribute to Stanley Marcus, the store's owner.
In 1988, Buchwald and partner Alain Bernheim filed suit against Paramount Pictures in a controversy over the Eddie Murphy film Coming to America. In the Buchwald v. Paramount lawsuit, Buchwald claimed Paramount had stolen his script treatment. He won, was awarded damages, and accepted a settlement from Paramount. The case was the subject of a 1992 book, Fatal Subtraction: The Inside Story of Buchwald v. Paramount.[10]
Criticism
In Buchwald's later years, his detractors characterized the column as hackneyed, tiresome and not funny. Political analyst Norman Ornstein in 1991 said he thought Buchwald's column was more popular "outside the Beltway"; others disagreed.[11]
Roy Bode, editor of the Dallas Times Herald, said that when his paper canceled Buchwald's column in 1989, the editors did not receive a single letter of protest. By contrast, when the paper cancelled the comic strip Zippy the Pinhead, so many readers complained that the editors were compelled to bring it back.[11]
In September 2005, Timothy Noah wrote in Slate, "Yes, Buchwald still writes his column. No, it hasn't been funny for some time."[12]
Illness and death
Buchwald underwent hospitalization twice for mental disorders: once in 1963 for severe depression. In 1987, he was hospitalized for what was then diagnosed as an extreme episode of bipolar disorder, which he had probably had for years. He publicly recounted these experiences in 1999.[2]
In 2000, at age 74, Buchwald suffered a stroke. He was hospitalized for more than two months. On February 16, 2006, the Associated Press reported that Buchwald had had a leg amputated below the knee and was staying at Washington Home and Hospice.[13] The amputation was reportedly necessary because of poor circulation in the leg, resulting from diabetes.
Buchwald invited radio talk show presenter
Buchwald was later interviewed by
Buchwald was interviewed by
In June 2006, Buchwald left the hospice. He was again interviewed by Rehm and reported that his kidney was working. He said that he "blesses him every morning. Some people bless their hearts, I bless my kidney." He reported that he was looking forward to getting a new leg and visiting Martha's Vineyard. In July 2006, Buchwald returned to his summer home in Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard. While there, he completed a book titled Too Soon to Say Goodbye, about the five months he spent in the hospice. Eulogies that were prepared by his friends, colleagues, and family members and were never delivered (or not delivered until later) are included in the book.[15]
On November 3, 2006, television news reporter Kyra Phillips interviewed Buchwald for CNN.[16] Phillips had known Buchwald since 1989, when she had first interviewed him. On November 22, 2006, Buchwald was again featured on Rehm's show. He described himself as a "poster boy for hospices – because I lived."
External videos | |
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Art Buchwald memorial service, March 5, 2007, C-SPAN |
In December 2006, in his final interview, he told nurse/writer Terry Ratner that he was also a poster boy for nurses. The article, "The 'Art' of Saying Goodbye", appeared in the January 2007 issues of
Buchwald died of kidney failure on January 17, 2007, at his son Joel's home in Washington, D.C.[18] The next day the website of The New York Times posted a video obituary in which Buchwald said: "Hi. I'm Art Buchwald, and I just died."[19]
Awards
- In 1977, he received the S. Roger Horchow Award for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards.[20]
- In 1982, Buchwald was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Outstanding Commentary.
- In 1991, he was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.[21]
- In 1991, he received the World Humour Award, from the Workshop Library on World Humour.[11]
- In 1994, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[22]
Books
Buchwald published numerous anthologies and collections of his columns, as well as memoirs.
- Paris After Dark (Imprimerie du Centre 1950. Also published by Herald Tribune, European Ed., S. A., 1953)
- Art Buchwald's Paris (Lion Library, 1956)
- I Chose Caviar (Victor Gollancz, 1957)
- The Brave Coward (Harper, 1957)
- More Caviar (Victor Gollancz, 1958)
- A Gift from the Boys (Harper, 1958)
- Don't Forget to Write (World Pub. Co., 1960)
- How Much is that in Dollars? (World Pub. Co., 1961)
- Is it Safe to Drink the Water? (PBK Crest Books, 1963)
- I Chose Capitol Punishment (World Pub. Co., 1963)
- ... and Then I Told the President: The Secret Papers of Art Buchwald (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1965)
- Son of the Great Society (Putnam, 1966)
- Have I Ever Lied to You?. New York: Putnam's Sons. 1968 – via Internet Archive.
- The Establishment is Alive and Well in Washington (Putnam, 1969)
- Counting Sheep; The Log and the Complete Play: Sheep on the Runway (Putnam, 1970)
- Oh, to be a Swinger (Vintage, 1970)
- Getting High in Government Circles (Putnam, 1971)
- I Never Danced at the White House (Putnam, 1973)
- "I Am Not a Crook" (Putnam, 1974)
- The Bollo Caper: A Fable for Children of All Ages (Doubleday, 1974)
- Irving's Delight: At Last! a Cat Story for the Whole Family! (McKay, 1975)
- Washington Is Leaking (Putnam, 1976)
- Down the Seine and Up the Potomac. New York: Putnam's Sons. 1977 – via Internet Archive.
- Best Cartoons of the World Miller Collection (Brown University) (Atlas World Press Review, 1978)
- Art Buchwald by Leonard Probst, transcript of an interview conducted by Leonard Probst, March 31 and April 1, 1978. (American Jewish Committee, Oral History Library, 1978)
- The Buchwald Stops Here (Putnam, 1979)
- Seems Like Yesterday Ann Buchwald interrupted by Art Buchwald (Putnam, 1980)
- Laid Back in Washington (Putnam, 1981)
- While Reagan Slept (Putnam, 1983)
- You Ask, Buchwald Answers (Listen & Learn U.S.A.!, 1983)
- The Official Bank-Haters' Handbook also by Joel D. Joseph (Natl Pr Books, 1984)
- "You Can Fool All of the People All the Time" (Putnam, 1985)
- I Think I Don't Remember (Putnam, 1987)
- Whose Rose Garden Is It Anyway? (Putnam, 1989)
- Lighten Up, George (Putnam, 1991)
- Leaving Home: A Memoir (Putnam, 1994)
- I'll Always Have Paris: A Memoir (Putnam, 1995)
- Stella in Heaven: Almost a Novel (Putnam, 2000)
- We'll Laugh Again. New York: Putnam's Sons. 2002. ISBN 9780399148927 – via Internet Archive.
- Beating Around the Bush (Seven Stories, 2005)
Autobiography
- Too Soon to Say Goodbye (Bantam Books 2006) ISBN 1-58836-574-3
See also
References
- ^ "Ann Buchwald, 74, Writer and Ex-Agent". The New York Times. July 5, 1994.
- ^ a b "Humorist Art Buchwald talks openly about depression". Emory Report.
- ^ a b Severo, Richard; Brozan, Nadine (January 19, 2007). "Art Buchwald, Whose Humor Poked the Powerful, Dies at 81". The New York Times.
- ^ "Le Grande Thanksgiving", Art Buchwald, The Washington Post, November 24, 2005
- ^ "Art Buchwald" (obituary), The Daily Telegraph, January 19, 2007.
- ISBN 0-399-14187-1.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ "Dirda on Books". "If you've seen To Catch a Thief ... you'll remember that the return of The Cat is covered in the Paris Herald Tribune. If you look at the author of the article, it's Art Buchwald."
- ^ "Playtime (1967) - IMDb". IMDb.
- ISBN 0-385-41686-5.
- ^ a b c Tom McNichol (May 1991). "The Press: Who's Laughing Now". Spy.
- ^ Noah, Timothy (September 2, 2005). "Summer-house lit, part 2". Slate.
- ^ Washington Home and Hospice Archived June 26, 2006, at the Wayback Machine; Retrieved on 2007-01-18
- ^ "Art Buchwald". Diane Rehm. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ "A Conversation with Art Buchwald". Diane Rehm. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Buchwald interview Archived December 22, 2007, at the Wayback Machine; Retrieved January 18, 2007.
- ^ "Terry Ratner - nurse, writer, educator - healing with writing".
- ^ "Columnist Art Buchwald dead at 81". CNN. January 18, 2007. Archived from the original on January 20, 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2007.
- ^ "The Last Word: Art Buchwald"; Retrieved March 11, 2007.
- ^ "National – Jefferson Awards". Jefferson Awards. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
- ^ Patricia Sullivan, "Art Buchwald, 1925-2007", The Washington Post, January 18, 2007
- American Academy of Achievement.
Further reading
- The Official Bank-Haters' Handbook Also By Joel D. Joseph (Natl Pr Books, 1984)
- You Ask, Buchwald Answers (Listen & Learn U.S.A.)
- While Reagan Slept (Fawcett 1983)
- Laid Back in Washington With Art Buchwald (Putnam, 1981) ISBN 0-399-12648-1
- Seems Like Yesterday (Berkley Pub Group, 1981)
- 100 Years of the Paris Trib: From the Archives of the ISBN 0-8109-1410-7
External links
This section may contain Wikipedia's Manual of Style. . (August 2012) |
- Art Buchwald, Barry Crimmins, Paul Krassner, Kurt Vonnegut – Beating Around the Bush: An Evening of Satire recorded on October 6, 2005, at The New York Society for Ethical Culture, 63 min., mp3 format
- Diane Rehm interviews Art Buchwald in his hospice room (February 24, 2006) RealAudio, Windows Media
- The Final Days of Art Buchwald: A Visit by Suzette Standring – Editor & Publisher
- Shafer, Ronald G. (March 4, 2006). "The Genius of Art Buchwald". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- Hold the eulogies, he's not ready to sign off yet The Boston Globe July 16, 2006
- "Art Buchwald Dies With Funny Bone Intact" Forbes.com
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Art Buchwald on Charlie Rose
- Art Buchwald at Library of Congress, with 54 library catalog records
- Works by or about Art Buchwald at Internet Archive
- Art Buchwald at Find a Grave
- He has been forgotten: Why humorist Art Buchwald should be remembered The Guardian, retrieved June 7, 2022