This erumor was taken from a prophecy that mencken made in the last paragraph of an essay that appeared in the baltimore evening sun on july 26, 1920. Mencken, known as the sage of baltimore, is regarded as one of the most influential american writers and prose stylists. Essential readings for the nonbeliever, and a mencken chrestomathy, and more on. A carnival of buncombe, mencken cynically opined on the difficulties of good men reaching. Mencken was preoccupied with his legacy, and kept his papers, letters, newspaper clippings and columns, even grade school report cards. Mencken quotes, we recommended you check out our other posts on interesting quotes and quintessential mark twain quotes on life, philosophy and politics. Cafepress brings your passions to life with the perfect item for every occasion. Menckens longtime home in the union square neighborhood of west baltimore was turned into a city museum, the h. In small areas, before small electorates, a firstrate man occasionally fights his way through, carrying even the mob with him by force of his personality. He was of german ancestry and spoke german in his childhood. Mencken, known as the sage of baltimore, is regarded as one of the most influential american writers and prose stylists of the first half of the 20th century. Free returns 100% satisfaction guarantee fast shipping. Mencken 18801956 the germanamerican sage of baltimore the skeptic. White house will be occupied by a downright fool and.
Louis cheslock hl mencken s smart set criticism, 1968 edited by william h. Mencken was born in baltimore, maryland, on september 12, 1880. Hl mencken was a perceptive and more than a bit cynical critic of office holders and seekers unmatched in our day and. Mencken talked, everyone listened in the roaring twenties, he was the one critic who mattered, the champion of a generation of plainspeaking writers who redefined the american novel, and the axswinging scourge of the know. Gift of hl mencken 1929 is stamped on the marriage of heaven and hell, luce 1906 edition of william blake, which shows up from the library of congress online version for reading. Mencken the following list is comprehensive and represents the 1st american publications of menckens work. With a style that combined biting sarcasm with the language of the free lunch counter, henry louis mencken shook politics and politicians for nearly half a century. Hl mencken was a perceptive and more than a bit cynical critic of office holders and seekers unmatched in our day and approached only by maureen dowd. Disgusted by hoovers inability to stem the collapse, in 1932 the voters elected franklin delano roosevelt, along with a he.
Lionheart, was later collected in a book by mencken titled on politics. Finally, the third man was a critic and journalist, one who had cynically followed politics for years and who was not one to give praise to anybody, especially to the dead. A carnival of buncombe maryland paperback bookshelf 9780801885556. Mencken baltimore evening sunfebruary 9, 1920 all of the great.
A selection of his best newspaper stories 1991 marion elizabeth rodgers, ed. Happy days, heathen days, newspaper days, prejudices, treatise on. Mencken talked, everyone listened in the roaring twenties, he was the one critic who mattered, the champion of a generation of plainspeaking writers who redefined the. A carnival of buncombe buncombe collection 28aug2006. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians and contemporary movements. As a child he attended professor friedrich knapps institute, a private school for children of german descent. On july 26, 1920, mencken published an oped in the baltimore evening sun titled bayard vs. With a style that combined biting sarcasm with the language of the free lunch counter, henry louis mencken shook politics and politicians for nearly half a. Does it appear to be unqualifiedly ratty, raffish, sordid, obscene, and low down, and its salient virtuousi a gang of. Mencken was an equal opportunity basher of politicians. But develop it didso much so that 60 years after his passing, menckens convention commentaries are still read and enjoyed in the anthologies a carnival of buncombe and the impossible h. Nov 14, 2004 writing for the baltimore evening sun on 26 july 1920, in an article entitled bayard vs.
Henry louis mencken september 12, 1880 january 29, 1956 was an american journalist and author. Henry louis mencken september 12, 1880 january 29, 1956 was an american journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic and scholar of american english. Mencken on electing morons president of the united states 1920 the larger the mob, the harder the test. A carnival of buncombe edited by malcolm moos a mencken chrestomathy edited and annotated by h. Mencken s musical life and a history of the saturday night club. With a style that combined biting sarcasm with the language of the free lunch counter, henry louis mencken shook politics and politicians for. The 75yearold author, editor, critic and newspaper man had lived in retirement since suffering a cerebral hemorrhage in 1948. Then, read the last words of famous people throughout history as well as some of the best insults ever recorded. May 03, 2019 a mencken chrestomathy 1949 posthumous collections. His papers were distributed among various city and university libraries, with the largest collection held in the mencken room at the central branch of baltimores enoch pratt free library. His satirical reporting on the scopes trial, which he dubbed the monkey trial, also gained him attention. These 69 essays are focused primarily on presidential politics between 1920 and 1936.
He was the son of anna margaret abhau and august mencken, sr. Mencken, wrote a column that appeared in the baltimore sun. When henry was three, his family moved into a new home at 1524 hollins street facing union square park in the union square neighborhood of old west baltimore. Henry louis mencken wikisource, the free online library. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts desire at last, and the white house will be occupied by a downright fool and complete narcissistic moron. Then, read the last words of famous people throughout history as. After his death, these materials were made available to scholars in stages in 1971, 1981, and 1991, and include hundreds of thousands of letters sent and received. Henry louis mencken was born in baltimore, maryland on 12 september 1880. A carnival of buncombe baltimore evening sunfebruary 9, 1920. Lionheart, which was later included in a volume of his essays. Mar 17, 2015 this erumor was taken from a prophecy that mencken made in the last paragraph of an essay that appeared in the baltimore evening sun on july 26, 1920. A selection of his writings on music together with an account of h. Happy days, heathen days, newspaper days, prejudices. Mencken finally wrote, all the more timely given that f.
He was a reporter for the baltimore morning herald from 1899, and became editor in 1905. Writing for the baltimore evening sun on 26 july 1920, in an article entitled bayard vs. Less than two and a half years after the great baltimore fire, the paper was purchased in june 1906 by charles h. Being various ballads, ballades, rondeaux, triolets, songs, quatrains, odes and rondels, all rescued from the potters field of old files and here given a decent. A mencken chrestomathy 1949 posthumous collections. As mencken biographer marion elizabeth rodgers points out, he was only 24 back then, and his legendary prose style had yet to develop. Grasty, the owner and editor of the news since 1892, and competing owner and publisher gen. Mencken on reclaiming democracy from the mob mentality that masquerades for it this fear of ideas is a peculiarly democratic phenomenon nowhere so horribly apparent as in the united states, perhaps the nearest approach to an actual democracy yet seen in the world. Originally published as a carnival of buncombe in 1956 by the johns hopkins press.
Palmer is a political mountebank of the first water. Now, fifty years after mencken s death, the johns hopkins university press announces the buncombe collection, newly packaged editions of nine mencken classics. Mencken says alls set to put young william over if wilson gives the word. Its all in wilsons hands, mencken concludes after looking around at frisco.
A carnival of buncombe, mencken cynically opined on the difficulties of good men reaching national office when the scale of their campaigns precluded them from directly reaching out to large segments. Autobiography, 18801892 thirtyfive years of newspaper work. Oct 02, 2006 now, fifty years after menckens death, the johns hopkins university press announces the buncombe collection, newly packaged editions of nine mencken classics. Henry louis mencken, writing for the baltimore evening sun on 26 july 1920, in an article entitled bayard vs. And a major theme of his writings was that every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under. Henry louis mencken was born in baltimore, maryland, on september 12, 1880. A carnival of buncombe 1956 the american scene 1965 huntington cairns, ed. On being an american baltimore evening sunoctober 11, 1920. Mencken was perhaps americas most outspoken defender of liberty in the first half of the 20th century. In the 1920s the new york times dubbed him the most powerful private citizen in the united states, while walter lippmann regarded as the most influential journalist in american history called him the most powerful personal influence on this whole generation of educated people. Then let us not forget its high capacity to soothe and tickle the midriff, its incomparable services as a maker of entertainment. Most of the items in this book are related to us electoral politics, mentioning names and events that might be unfamiliar to contemporary readers.
Mencken s longtime home in the union square neighborhood of west baltimore was turned into a city museum, the h. A carnival of buncombe n inetyseven years ago next wednesdayon july 26 1920 to be specificcultural critic and journalist, h. A carnival of buncombe the american language in defense of women prejudices. Well worth reading in the context of the 2016 campaign season and early days of the trump administration. Mencken on reclaiming democracy from the mob mentality. Mencken s letters to louise lou wylie, a reporter and feature writer for new orleanss the timespicayune newspaper, are archived at loyola university new orleans. In terms of sheer technical virtuosity, though, mencken was arguably at his most impressive as a political reporter working under extreme deadline pressure during the carnival of buncombe of a national political convention. However, mencken is always amusing, even when the subject matter is no longer relevant. He reported for the evening sun as a war correspondent in germany during 191617. Mencken 18801948 was a newspaperman, most famously on the baltimore, maryland sun. This collection of mencken columns spans the period from 1920 to 1948 and covers, as i recall, every major party national convention in the period, as well as commenting on a variety of other political events along the way. The great depression was a watershed in american history. He considered maryland to be his home despite his many years in new york.
Mencken, the baltimore evening sun, july 26, 1920 and reprinted in the book on politics. Mencken served as a reporter at the herald for six years. For a number of years, he had a weekly opinion column published on mondays. Happy days, heathen days, newspaper days, prejudices, treatise on the gods, on politics, thirtyfive years of newspaper work, minority report, and a second mencken chrestomathy. Mencken on electing morons president of the united. Jan 08, 2014 if the day ever comes when jeffersons warnings are heeded are last, and we reduce government to its simplest terms, it may very well happen that cals bones now resting inconspicuously in the vermont granite will come to be revered as those of a man who really did the nation some service h. Louis cheslock hl menckens smart set criticism, 1968 edited by william h. Mencken collection, enoch pratt free library books by h. Mencken, edited by huntington cairns on mencken edited by john dorsey h. Come check out our giant selection of tshirts, mugs, tote bags, stickers and more. Soon after herbert hoover assumed the presidency in 1929, the economy began to decline, and between 1930 and 1933 the contraction assumed catastrophic proportions never experienced before or since in the united states. Now, fifty years after menckens death, the johns hopkins university press announces the buncombe collection, newly packaged editions of nine mencken classics. Does it appear to be unqualifiedly ratty, raffish, sordid, obscene, and low down, and its salient virtuousi a gang of unmitigated scoundrels. Mencken 18801956 page at spirit of america bookstore.
Felix agnus, of the towns oldest since 1773 and largest daily, the baltimore american. Henry louis mencken september 12, 1880 january 29, 1956, was an american journalist, essayist, magazine editor, satirist, acerbic critic of american life and culture, and a scholar of american english. A carnival of buncombe 1956 cairns, huntington, ed. Mencken and the black writers of the 1920s charles scruggs.