Remember Laughter: A Life of James Thurber

The great humorist admired-as he exemplified in his work-brevity and concision. So he would certainly have approved of the modest dimensions of this study of himself. In an age of overdetailed biographies, this book says just what needs to be said, then stops. Grauer, a former newspaper cartoonist and reporter, writes smoothly and entertainingly, and with a keen sense of what makes Thurber (1894-1961) so endearingly funny. His quotes are apt, his anecdotes neatly told, and he even gives us a handful of the classic cartoons. Grauer is also fair, presenting an unvarnished picture of Thurber's bitter last years when, perhaps aware that his gifts were waning, the blind writer boasted vainly of his former triumphs, antagonized such old friends as E.B. White and Roger Angell and threw his eyeglasses at the wall. These days it is easy to be overcritical of Thurber's misogyny and occasional resort to racial humor; still, as Grauer notes, his increasing misanthropy was often prescient, and he remained, in all his inconsistencies, steadfast in two beliefs: in the superiority of animals to humankind, and his dread of technology. Photos not seen by PW. (Nov.)