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Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade by Patrick Dennis — book cover

Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade

by Patrick Dennis, Michael Tanner (Afterword), Paul Rudnick
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Overview

Wildly successful when it was first published in 1955, Patrick Dennis’ Auntie Mame sold over two million copies and stayed put on the New York Times bestseller list for 112 weeks. It was made into a play, a Broadway as well as a Hollywood musical, and a fabulous movie starring Rosalind Russell. Since then, Mame has taken her rightful place in the pantheon of Great and Important People as the world’s most beloved, madcap, devastatingly sophisticated, and glamorous aunt. She is impossible to resist, and this hilarious story of an orphaned ten-year-old boy sent to live with his aunt is as delicious a read in the twenty-first century as it was in the 1950s.

Finally back in print after 15 years--the classic comic bestseller about a wild, witty, and irresistible New York flapper. Here are the extravagant follies and delirious escapades of a grand dame with a heart of gold, as seen through the wide eyes of her young nephew.

Synopsis

"Outrageous, hilarious, ribald, sophisticated, slapsatiric." The Denver Post
With a wit as sharp as a vodka stinger and a heart as free as her spirit, Auntie Mame burst onto the literary scene in 1955 -- and today remains one of the most unforgettable characters in contemporary fiction.

Camille Paglia

Auntie Mame is the American Alice in Wonderland. It is also, incidentally, one of the most important books in my life. Its witty Wildean phrases ring in my mind, and its flamboyant characters still enamor me. Like Tennessee Williams, Patrick Dennis caught the boldness, vitality, and iridescent theatricality of modern American personality. In Mame’s mercurial metamorphoses we see American optimism and self-invention writ large.

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Editorials

Camille Paglia

Auntie Mame is the American Alice in Wonderland. It is also, incidentally, one of the most important books in my life. Its witty Wildean phrases ring in my mind, and its flamboyant characters still enamor me. Like Tennessee Williams, Patrick Dennis caught the boldness, vitality, and iridescent theatricality of modern American personality. In Mame’s mercurial metamorphoses we see American optimism and self-invention writ large.

Charles Busch

I reread and study Auntie Mame like a hilarious, glamorous bible where, among other wise lessons, one learns that true sophistication and innocence are two halves of the same glittering coin.

Joe Keenan

Mame Dennis is the grande dame of grand dames and I, for one, am thrilled that she’s back among us. She is still hilarious, sparkling, and utterly indestructible despite the best efforts of time, neglect, and Lucille Ball.

Robert Plunket

Auntie Mame is a unique literary achievement; a brilliant novel disguised as a lightweight piece of fluff. Every page sparkles with wit, style andthough Mame would cringe at the thoughthigh moral purpose. Let’s hope Patrick Dennis is finally recognized for what he is: One of the great comedic writers of the 20th century.

Book Details

Published
September 1, 2001
Publisher
Crown Publishing Group
Pages
320
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780767908191

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