The Algonquin Round Table New York

On a June day in 1919, Alexander Woollcott, who was just back from the war (WW1), decided to invite some friends to have lunch at the Algonquin Hotel. Everyone had a great time and someone said, “Why don’t we do this every day?” And so they did for ten years until the ‘great depression’ spread them all over the world in an effort to make a living and later to report on WW2.

The “Round Table” was called the Vicious Circle by those who were members of this elite group that was to include the most famous newspaper columnists and reporters, writers (books and plays), and publishers (The New Yorker magazine began here). One of the most famous was Dorothy Parker, but included Edna Ferber, Herman Mankiewicz, Harpo Marx and Robert Benchley. Some, were famous for being famous, while others were to become famous, but their quips, quotes and jokes were reported in all the major New York papers and their “table” became a legend.

If I have any complaint about Fitzgerald’s book, it’s that he has this habit of giving us the addresses of everything. When he writes about the protagonists he gives us all their home addresses, and those of the newspapers and the Broadway theatres, it can get annoying after a while. The book begins with short biographies of the members in chapters for the newspaper writers, the on the Broadway peoples, those that went into the movies and radio, and the Theatres themselves.

The last three sections are on the creation of the iconic “The New Yorker” magazine, the speakeasies and brothels that were the habitue of the Table, and finally an epilogue of what happened to the most important members after WW2.

In parts it reads more like and encyclopedia or reference book, but it’s never pedantic or pedestrian. The stories and anecdotes are especially worth the read. Well worth your time, if you’re interested in “The Arts” of this time period.

Zeb Kantrowitz zworstblog.blogspot.com

This book isn't right for my library's clientele, but it's a fascinating look at that particular group of people.

There’s a wealth of information and anecdote in this painstakingly researched study of the famous (or infamous) Algonquin Round Table members, who met daily for many years to lunch and talk and share ideas. The roll call includes Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Edna Ferber and Harpo Marx, amongst many others. Dubbed “The Vicious Circle” they’re a Who’s Who of the New York literary scene and author Kevin Fitzpatrick is an expert on their lives and successes and, inevitably, failures. He also chronicles the many newspapers, magazines and theatres associated with the group. So yes, I did enjoy the book but it’s not really one to just sit down and read from beginning to end, more a historical and literary guide to dip into. There’s no real sustained narrative, which I would have preferred, and I was reminded of Inside the Dream Palace by Sherill Tippins, whose book about the inhabitants of the Chelsea Hotel was as gripping as any novel. Fitzpatrick is also rather too fond of making lists of all the addresses associated with a writer or publication, which is useful in a guidebook, perhaps, but feels cumbersome here and is distracting. Nevertheless, the book must surely be required reading for anyone interested in the era and the history of New York’s flourishing literary scene, and it’s a book I will no doubt refer to on any future trip to the city. I understand that the author gives guided walks. On the evidence of this book they are sure to be riveting.

What an amazing group of people to have come together for lunch at a hotel restaurant. They were witty, intelligent, literate as well as irritating, egotistical and biting. Mr. Fitzpatrick paints a vivid picture not just of the "Vicious Circle", which is what they called their group, but of the times in which they lived. Included in the book are biographies of the Round Table participants; biographies of the Algonquin Hotel and other hotels of the day; and a portrait of the literary world of New York during the times. With some editing of some repetitious sentences and descriptions, this will be a juicy book to devour.

An enlightening overview of the exploits of New York City's literary, theater and newspaper royalty from the end of WWI to the beginning of WWII. The Algonquin Round Table, known by the inner circle as The Vicious Circle, formed in 1919 and included such luminaries as Dorothy Parker, Harpo Marx and Robert Benchley, and the local press clamored to publish their every word.
While the story of the Table takes center stage, the books also spends time going over the beginnings of the now venerable New Yorker Magazine. Also of interest, Fitzgerald meticulously chronicles the lives and (mostly) deaths of the members after WWII. I enjoyed this look at New York's early Avant Garde, and learned a great deal about New York City during this period. Highly recommended.