Quoting Nash's political verse

While not known primarily for his political satire, Ogden Nash didn't hesitate to wield it when so moved. Here is an excerpt from an unnamed Nash poem pertaining to the Japanese's aggressive occupations of the mid-20th century:

How courteous is the Japanese;
He always says, “Excuse it, please.”
He climbs into his neighbor’s garden,
And smiles, and says, “I beg your pardon”;
He bows and grins a friendly grin,
And calls his hungry family in;
He grins, and bows a friendly bow;
“So sorry, this my garden now.”

The poem is a lead in for an editorial in the on current border disputes & fears in Asia.

A Slice of Nash from North Hampton

The Portsmouth Herald of NH prints more articles about Ogden Nash than any other newspaper. Owing to Nash being a local hero from his summer residence there. Last week they published this amalgamation and noted the graffiti on the cemetery gate where Nash is buried:

f you take your dog for a run . . .

Thanks for picking up when you're done.

Nash didn't write it, but he would have loved it.

Talking Like the Rain

This is the name of a new poetry collection for children which includes Ogden Nash. The works were selected by X. J. Kennedy and Dorothy M. Kennedy and illustrated by Jane Dyer

“Talking like the rain” is a book of some well known rhymes. All the poems in this book have a nice rhythm, interesting repetitive phrases, clever, creative imagery and there is never a dull moment. The poems are selected from authors such as; Emily Dickenson, Ogden Nash and Robert Louis Stevenson. The art work in this book is a beautiful set of water coloured images that relate directly to the poems on the page. " Read the rest of the review here.

Reviews of new CD with Ogden Nash Rendered in Song

Philip Schroeder has produced SONGS OF MY AFFINITIES which includes 8 Nash poems presented as songs. Based on the reviews it would be worth seeking out and giving a listen:

“These compositions are truly gems of the American repertoire. The settings are spontaneous and inextricably linked to the linguistic nature of the words; that is, the vocal line manifests the phonetic and semantic elements of the text while the ensemble orchestrates its content. The performances are all brilliant.” — New Music Connoisseur

“The allure of this fascinating song collection begins with the astonishing company of writers responsible for these texts. This disk amply demonstrates just how assured and inventive a song composer Schroeder has become. The masterpiece here is ‘Eight Songs on Poems by Ogden Nash,’ in which brilliant but very brief reflections on various animals are brought stunningly to life.... The disk concludes with ‘The Infinite in Repose,’ a prosaic essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson on self-reflection that Schroeder manages to set both clearly and compellingly, both in his sensitivity to the text and in his persuasive use of synthesizer for accompaniment... without detracting from the beautiful words of Emerson or from [Robert ] Best’s superb singing.” — Journal of Singing

More Nash in the Sincerest Form of Flattery

There are, as I have posted previously, a fair amount of people who cannot resist emulating Ogden Nash's style and indeed channeling Ogden himself. In the Lost Lessons of Frederic Ogden Nash a gentleman calling himself Ogden El Nache writes nashesquian verse that careens out of control at times but is still good fun and provides wisdom for writers. It is on a blog called Cow Hampshire. Which, for those of you outside of New England, is how the Brahmins of the commonwealth tend to refer to their more agrarian northern brethren.

Online Memorial to Ogden Nash

Ogden Nash Day was August 19, 2002, the 100th anniversary of his birth.

Even in an age, when all things have a digital facet, I'm still surprised, pleasantly, to learn that 91 people have left personal messages for Ogden Nash next to his virtual grave site at Find A Grave.com . Many remember his birthday, especially Laura , a librarian who shares her wedding anniversary with Ogden Nash's birthday and has sent him well wishes two years in a row.

Grateful for Nash during War Time

Here is a wonderful blog " WW2 LOVE LETTERS FROM LONDON" where this couple has posted their love letters from WW II. On August 8th, 1944 Glenn Burke wrote his wife Betty in Sacramento to thank her for sending him an Ogden Nash book:

"READ SOME MORE OF THE OGDEN NASH BOOK YOU SENT. I SURE LIKE HIS STUFF, IT IS SORT Publish PostOF CRAZY BUT HAS A LOT OF SENSE IN IT TOO."

It's fascinating to hear this soldier's voice on Nash 64 years later. He later writes about "Coffee with the Meal" which was part of the collection "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" published in 1938:

"I slept until about twelve thirty this morning and then laid in bed and read Ogden Nash. I sure like his stuff, seems like I can read it over and over and enjoy it just as much each time. A favorite of mine is “Coffee with the Meal”. which portrays the futile fight of a man to get “coffee with, coffee with, coffee with the meal” (he eventually gets it one hour later, in a demitasse!). That is typical of restaurants here, in old ones you can’t even have it at the table, after supper you go into the lounge for your coffee, in a demitasse!"