Art Buchwald, RIP
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/18/AR2007011800616.html
And one of the last pieces of my childhood ends. My father had been following Buchwald since his days at the Herald Tribune. And he loved the gentle satire. He introduced me to the column around when I was in fifth grade. I think my Father's intention was to use the humor in it to get me interested in the politics that it was referring to. Needless to say, it worked (probably not always in ways anticipated by him...).
Political satire is something of a craps shoot. Those engaged in it seem to shine during one era and not another. Also, times and tastes can change, and that certainly affected Buchwald and probably the popularity of his column. I think his high-point was the 60's, particularly the Johnson and early Nixon Administrations. And I confess that by the 1980's I only occasionally picked up on it. But to the Post's credit, they kept publishing him right up to the end, a last vestige of its up-and-coming Glory Days of the 60's and 70's.
But there was one column I would read each and every time - his annual Thanksgiving one, (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-yn/content/article/2006/11/22/AR2006112201825.html). It's printing became a minor D.C. tradition, and my father always got a kick out of it. Every year my folks would come over for the annual feast, and Dad, with a bit of a twinkle in his eye, would always ask me if I'd read it, and I would of course always affirm that my duty had been accomplished. It was a little psychic touchstone between us. One that I kept up after his passing. And I also placed a copy of it with him at his funeral. A final connection.
I wrote Buchwald a couple of years ago about that and received a very gracious reply. My mother also had the opportunity to meet him several times as he visited the shop she worked at for his Holiday shopping and they always had a pleasant chat.
The Post's article goes into more detail about his accomplishments and the help and inspiration he brought to others combating depression. But for me, Art Buchwald will always be a reminder of something my father and I could share.
So, here's to the memory of a true Washington institution and a nice guy. May Art be where he always gets the best table at Sans Souci!
And one of the last pieces of my childhood ends. My father had been following Buchwald since his days at the Herald Tribune. And he loved the gentle satire. He introduced me to the column around when I was in fifth grade. I think my Father's intention was to use the humor in it to get me interested in the politics that it was referring to. Needless to say, it worked (probably not always in ways anticipated by him...).
Political satire is something of a craps shoot. Those engaged in it seem to shine during one era and not another. Also, times and tastes can change, and that certainly affected Buchwald and probably the popularity of his column. I think his high-point was the 60's, particularly the Johnson and early Nixon Administrations. And I confess that by the 1980's I only occasionally picked up on it. But to the Post's credit, they kept publishing him right up to the end, a last vestige of its up-and-coming Glory Days of the 60's and 70's.
But there was one column I would read each and every time - his annual Thanksgiving one, (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-yn/content/article/2006/11/22/AR2006112201825.html). It's printing became a minor D.C. tradition, and my father always got a kick out of it. Every year my folks would come over for the annual feast, and Dad, with a bit of a twinkle in his eye, would always ask me if I'd read it, and I would of course always affirm that my duty had been accomplished. It was a little psychic touchstone between us. One that I kept up after his passing. And I also placed a copy of it with him at his funeral. A final connection.
I wrote Buchwald a couple of years ago about that and received a very gracious reply. My mother also had the opportunity to meet him several times as he visited the shop she worked at for his Holiday shopping and they always had a pleasant chat.
The Post's article goes into more detail about his accomplishments and the help and inspiration he brought to others combating depression. But for me, Art Buchwald will always be a reminder of something my father and I could share.
So, here's to the memory of a true Washington institution and a nice guy. May Art be where he always gets the best table at Sans Souci!
posted by mendip at
10:13 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home