Henry Alford (writer)

This article is about the American humorist, Henry Alford. For other people with this name, see Henry Alford (disambiguation).

Henry Alford
Alford in 2008
Alford in 2008
Born (1962-02-13) February 13, 1962 (age 62)
OccupationHumorist, journalist
Alma materNew York University
Notable worksMunicipal Bondage, Big Kiss: One Actor's Desperate Attempt to Claw His Way to the Top, How to Live: A Search for Wisdom from Old People (While They are Still on This Earth), Would It Kill You To Stop Doing That?
Notable awardsThurber Prize for American Humor
Website
henryalford.com

Henry Alford is a humorist and journalist who has written for The New Yorker magazine for more than two decades.[1] He was previously a columnist for The New York Times[2] and a contributing editor to Vanity Fair.[3] He has written six books, including How to Live and Big Kiss, an account of his attempts to become a working actor, which won a Thurber Prize.[4]

Sometimes called an "investigative humorist,"[5] Alford is primarily known for his first-person quests and exploits. These include creating a gourmet meal out of food purchased at a 99-Cent Store,[6] eating at a nude restaurant in Paris with his boyfriend,[7] inviting a restaurant health inspector to rate his apartment's kitchen while he was serving lunch to friends,[8] and trying to pass the National Dog Groomers Association's certification test by applying lipstick to his cocker spaniel's snout and telling the test's judge, "I like a dog with a face."[9]

His humor pieces for The New Yorker have included his imagining British taxi drivers reciting W.H. Auden's poetry to their passengers[10] (which erroneously suggested citizens of the Northern city of York speak in the Cockney dialect) and a playlet composed entirely of Eugene O'Neill's stage directions.[11] (Both are collected in the New Yorker's humor anthology, Disquiet Please,[12] and the O'Neill playlet has been taught at M.I.T.[13]) As a result of writing a 2005 article about fake words inserted in dictionaries for copyright purposes,[14] he has been credited with coining the word "mountweazel."[15]

He has contributed frequently to the Styles sections of The New York Times[16] and to the New York Times Book Review,[17] and written extensively about food[18] and travel.[19] His January 2013 article in the Travel section of The New York Times about Medellin, Colombia was referenced by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the Benghazi hearings.[20]

  1. ^ Alford, Henry. "The New Yorker website". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  2. ^ Alford, Henry. "The New York Times Website". The New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  3. ^ "Up Front: Talking with Henry Alford. New York Times Book Review". The New York Times. September 28, 2008. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  4. ^ "About the Author. Simon and Schuster Website". Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  5. ^ "Author Henry Alford". Fresh Air. NPR. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  6. ^ Alford, Henry (March 26, 2008). "How to Survive in New York on 99 Cents". The New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  7. ^ Alford, Henry. "Dining as Nature Intended at O'Naturel". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  8. ^ Alford, Henry (September 28, 2010). "Would The City Shut Down Your Kitchen?". The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  9. ^ Alford, Henry (1994). Municipal Bondage. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-41509-2.
  10. ^ Alford, Henry (April 9, 2007). "The Knowledge". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  11. ^ Alford, Henry (November 23, 1998). "Unspoken O'Neill". The New Yorker. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  12. ^ Remnick, David; Finder, Henry (2010). Disquiet, please! : more humor writing from the New Yorker (Modern Library paperback ed.). New York: Modern Library. ISBN 978-0-8129-7997-8.
  13. ^ "Playwrighting I Readings". MIT OpenCourseWare. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  14. ^ Alford, Henry. "Not A Word". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  15. ^ McAlpin, Heller. "The Liar's Dictionary Is A Delight from A to Z." The New Yorker. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  16. ^ Alford, Henry (June 8, 2011). "Seeking to Be Jude Law in a Swimsuit". The New York Times. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  17. ^ Alford, Henry (October 29, 2006). "It's Her Party". The New York Times Book Review. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  18. ^ Alford, Henry (March 31, 2009). "How I Learned to Love Goat Meat". The New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  19. ^ Alford, Henry (February 17, 2008). "The Love Boat for Policy Wonks". The New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  20. ^ Alford, Henry (January 18, 2013). "I Just Got Back From Medellin". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2013.