Disturber of the Peace, William Manchester
Disturber of the Peace, William Manchester
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Disturber of the Peace
The Life of H. L. Mencken

Author: William Manchester

Narrator: Anthony Heald

Unabridged: 14 hr 19 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/01/2008

Synopsis

This fine biography of H. L. Mencken tells of how he rose to his unique position as comic genius and preeminent critic of American culture. It is the story of a man whose massive power of invective inspired and infuriated his contemporaries and whose popularity and unpopularity mounted with the frenzied pace of the 1920s. Mencken sounded a loud, jarring note to a world governed by conformity and never hesitated to express his contempt for every kind of hypocrite, fake, and narrowminded censor. Here also is Menckens human side, not just his rambunctious wit but also his courtesy and hospitality, his support of struggling writers, and his personal foibles. What emerges is a compelling portrait of an extraordinary man. First released in 1951, this edition includes a new introduction and final chapter.

About William Manchester

William Manchester was a hugely successful popular historian and biographer whose books include The Last Lion, Volumes 1 and 2, Goodbye Darkness, A World Lit Only by Fire, The Glory and the Dream, The Arms of Krupp, American Caesar, The Death of the President, and assorted works of journalism.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jonfaith on September 07, 2015

I read this on a cold Sunday while we were still at our old house, in fact I read 30 pages walking back from the library. These texts cling to you, like Liebling, like Orwell. Those authors were carefully chosen. Much of journalism's mantle has been maintained by this half-assed reader. One should h......more

Goodreads review by David on April 03, 2013

This was not just a good read, but a fun read! Mencken definitely was "street smart" in the truest sense and this was my formal introduction to his life and some of his writings/milestones. (Author/biographer Manchester notes that while other biographies of Mencken were written, this one still seems......more

Goodreads review by Patrick on August 11, 2024

I happen to find myself reading H. L. Machen's writing on the obituary of J. Greshem Machen (no relation) and knew enough about both men that I thought it would be interesting to read biographies of these very opposite and similar men back to back. Since I knew less about H. L. Machen, I figured I'd......more

Goodreads review by Brian on January 14, 2021

The life of a writer is a solitary one. While I'm an admirer of his epigrams, he sounds like someone who would be difficult to take. He was angry and sad much of his life, leaving many great quotes. A curmudgeon, modernist, and reactionary, he was riddled with contradictions and self-destructive beh......more

Goodreads review by Dayla on February 28, 2022

What I'm reading about today in the book: The Smart Set, an American literary magazine, under the editorship of H. L. Mencken and George Jean Nathan, offered many up-and-coming authors their start and gave them access to a relatively large audience: Theodore Dreiser, Ambrose Bierce, and Sinclair Lewi......more

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