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Lamentations of the Father: Essays, by Ian Frazier
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When The Atlantic Monthly celebrated its 150th anniversary by publishing excerpts from the best writing ever to appear in the magazine, in the category of the humorous essay it chose only four pieces—one by Mark Twain, one by James Thurber, one by Kurt Vonnegut, and Ian Frazier’s 1997 essay “Lamentations of the Father.” The title piece of this new collection has had an ongoing life in anthologies, in radio performances, in audio recordings, on the Internet, and in photocopies held by hamburger magnets on the doors of people’s refrigerators. The august company in which The Atlantic put Frazier gives an idea of where on the literary spectrum his humorous pieces lie. Frazier’s work is funny and elegant and poetic and of the highest literary aspiration, all at the same time. More serious than a “gag” writer, funnier than most essayists of equal accomplishment, Frazier is of a classical originality. This collection, a companion to his previous humor collections Dating Your Mom (1985) and Coyote v. Acme (1996), contains thirty-three pieces gathered from the last thirteen years. Past winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor; author of the nonfiction bestsellers Great Plains, Family, and On the Rez; contributor to The New Yorker, Outside, and other magazines, Frazier is the greatest writer of our (or indeed of any) age.
- Sales Rank: #2026681 in Books
- Published on: 2008-04-29
- Released on: 2008-04-29
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.10" h x .82" w x 6.10" l, .72 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 208 pages
From Publishers Weekly
Accomplished social satirist Frazier's latest collection reminds us why the novelist and essayist is one of America's funniest living writers. The much-quoted title piece, originally published in the Atlantic Monthly, gives voice to every parent's battle with table manners, bath time and various laws, statutes and ordinances concerning biting (don't), sand (not edible) and pets (not to be taped). Equally entertaining are Frazier's self-declared role as spokesman for crows, complete with slogan (Crows: We Want to Be Your Only Birdâ„¢) and his mock exposé on the truth behind history's most famous phrases. Caesar's I came, I saw, I conquered is, according to Frazier, simply an early example of mankind's obsession with the sound bite, a snappier version of: I came, I saw, I conquered, I had a snack, I took a bath, and I went to bed, because I was exhausted. A treat for Frazier fanatics and new readers alike, this compilation from the past 13 years has nary a misstep and begs to be read in one sitting. Researchers, Frazier says, have determined that life is too hard. But it's easier with Frazier at the helm. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
“Ian Frazier is an antidote for the blues.” ―The Boston Globe
“Being a funny guy doesn't always mesh with being a smart guy. In Frazier's case, however, the two seem one and the same.” ―The Christian Science Monitor
“Warning . . . reading [Frazier's essays] in the bathroom, on the subway, or in other heavy-traffic areas may force you to have to explain to others what's making you guffaw so loudly.” ―Entertainment Weekly
“America's greatest essayist.” ―The Los Angeles Times
“Frazier is a master of the trade and for those cursed with literacy, an absolute howl.” ―The Buffalo News
“Hilarious . . . [Frazier's] sense of humor is so uncanny and surprising it's nearly impossible not to be charmed. Highly entertaining.” ―Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Ian Frazier is the author of seven works of nonfiction and two collections of humor. A frequent contributor to The New Yorker, he lives in Montclair, New Jersey.
Most helpful customer reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful.
A very funny riff on reality
By Lynn Harnett
As serious as he is funny, Frazier can deconstruct the historical accuracy of Daffy Duck with the same straight-faced relish he uses to savage corporate crooks and the "innovative thinking" of the Bush administration.
While his politics are definitely left leaning, he skewers pomposity, dogmatism and the babble of popular culture wherever it strikes his fancy - which is just about anywhere, from techno-thriller movies to the mythic figures of our time (like Russell Crowe), from the sound bite to guide book drivel, from the latest in scientific research to the ordinary family.
Especially the family. The book's funniest piece - in the sense of laugh-out-loud humor rather than fiendishly clever satire - is the title piece, "Lamentations of the Father." Published in 1997 when his children were small, it begins:
"Of the beasts of the field, and of the fishes of the sea and of all foods that are acceptable in my sight you may eat, but not in the living room."
And, from "What I Am," inspired by an accident of dishwasher loading in which his wife calls him an "idiot" and he objects, not to the characterization so much as the terminology: "Quite simply, `idiot' is not a nice word to call somebody, and I find myself asking, as Mr. Welch did of Senator Joseph McCarthy, `Have you no sense of decency, sir?' "
"The Cursing Mommy Cookbook" and "The Cursing Mommy Christmas" start out with Martha Stewart decorum and quickly, hysterically, devolve into familiar domestic chaos.
Others take a more quirky view - the tribulations of the absent expectant (maybe) father; the earnest murderer's family aspirations; coming of age among the right-wing militia.
Frazier started out as a staff writer for "The New Yorker" in the 70s and it shows. All his work has a strong voice and an eye for detail. From books like 1989's "Great Plains," and 2000's "On the Rez," personal, in-depth explorations of the past and present West and its people, to his collections of humor, like this one and the earlier "Dating Your Mom" and "Coyote V. Acme," Frazier brings a thoughtful reflection to the world around him. His wordsmithing engages the reader's imagination.
In humor, this often means sinking his imaginary teeth into a cultural tidbit and running with it:
"According to a study just released by scientists at Duke University, life is too hard. Although their findings mainly concern life as experienced by human beings, the study also applies to other animate forms, the scientists claim. Years of tests, experiments and complex computer simulations now provide solid statistical evidence in support of old folk sayings that described life as `a vale of sorrows,' `a woeful trial,' `a kick in the teeth,' `not worth living,' and so on."
Or taking an ideological stance to its furthest conclusion; the doctrine of pre-emption, for instance, as applied to Iceland and Scandinavia.
Then there's the Bin Laden piece, which appeared a month before September 11, in which Frazier notices Bin Laden's face on Wanted posters in New Jersey post offices, posters that begin to disappear in the interests of retail efficiency.
Except for the Bin Laden piece, no date or origin is given with any of these short essays, which cover a span of 13 years and were printed in a variety of magazines (many from "The New Yorker"). There is a general listing acknowledgement on the title page but I would have liked more specific information.
A tiny quibble with a book that tickles the imagination almost as much as the funny bone.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
Page for page, the funniest writer in decades
By Jesse Kornbluth
How does a man become a murderer?
Not the kind of question you and I ask ourselves, but Ian Frazier has thought deeply. Done the homework. And, in "He, The Murderer", he reports back:
On an aptitude test, "Murderer" was the category he scored highest in. By then, he'd already murdered a couple of guys, just fooling around. He kind of liked it. One thing led to another.
It's not all roses, this business of killing people. For one thing:
Now he wishes he'd murdered more people when he was younger. You reach the age of forty, forty-five, and you can't react like you used to when you were twenty.
For another:
Everybody's got his hand out these days, wanting a favor. "Hey, Ronnie, can you murder my nephew?" "Ronnie, my man, if you got a second, could you murder the head of the Plumbers and Contractors Union?" "Yo, Uncle Ronnie, how about doing a little murdering for us, pro bono?" Like always, friends and family take advantage.
To no one's surprise, he wants better for the next generation:
He is determined that his son will not have to murder people when he gets big, and will be able to make a good living simply by injuring them.
And then....but you see what happens. You start reading an Ian Frazier piece, and the next thing you know you're quoting him to anyone in your zip code, and pretty soon you're reading the whole piece aloud. And this happens time after time, because on a good day there is no one better at smart-funny than Ian Frazier.
"Kisses All Around", for example, is letters of premature acknowledgment. The Pope's representative thanks Martin Luther for the 95 theses: "It's on the table next to his bed, and he will certainly get to it soon." Khomeini tells Salman Rushdie how much he's looking forward to reading "The Satanic Verses" --- "Death to Bush or whoever, and kisses all around."
"Laws Concerning Food and Drink; Household Principles; Lamentations of the Father" starts with important rules for the consumption of refreshment outside the kitchen. ("If you are sick, and are lying down and watching something, then may you eat in the living room.") Of course the Father moves on to complaints: "Hear me, O my children, for the bills they kill me. I pay and pay again, even to the twelfth time in a year, and yet again they mount higher than before..."
"The Cursing Mommy Cookbook" is everything that went on in your head when you went to make chili and someone had used the last of the chili powder. Later, there's "A Cursing Mommy Christmas." Because, you know, it's always at her house....
"Researchers Say"parodies academic writing by exploring the emerging proof that life is too hard. Thus: "Nine out of ten of the respondents, identified by just their first initials for the purpose of the survey, stated that they would give up completely if they knew how."
"Warmer, Warmer" is a meditation on George Bush's call for a decade of additional research on global warming. But which one? "'We don't want to pick just any old decade,' the source continued, perspiration beading on his forehead. 'Finding the right decade for this type of in-depth climate research might take as long as ten years.'"
There are more. And they are, almost without exception, so very funny that if you have not been reading Ian Frazier for decades, you may feel a sudden hole in your life of which you were heretofore unaware. Fret not. It is easy to catch up. Start with the new book. Then work back.
You're welcome.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
Hysterical
By bronx book nerd
Lamentations of the Father is a hysterical collection of humor pieces. Frazier takes common experiences and deftly turns them into laugh riots. More literary in many ways than someone like Dave Barry, Frazier applies his smarts to subjects that you wouldn't think could be turned into humor, like how to operate a shower curtain. His parody of rap verses by substituting rappers with classic poets is incredibly funny, as are virtually all the pieces. My only criticisms: one piece on cursing mommy was sufficient; the murderer piece I actually fouind a bit disturbing. Nevertheless, if you want to laugh a lot, if you are married and have children, if you want to see a clever mind at play, read this book.
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