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Made at the Library: Author Michael Hill discusses his book “Funny Business: The Legendary Life and Political Satire of Art Buchwald.”

In his book "Funny Business: The Legendary Life and Political Satire of Art Buchwald," historian Michael Hill turns to the famed Washington Post humor columnist’s writings, correspondence, speeches, and essays to examine the humor and underlying pathos of Buchwald’s life and long career as a celebrity American satirist and journalist. Art Buchwald’s Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columns reached households across the country. As a popular Washington insider, he engaged newspaper readers in current events and political analysis in a comic way before Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers, Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert, and other late-night comedians popularized bringing the day’s news to a large television audience. He parodied presidents and scoundrels while forming close friendships with leading figures of his time. The program will trace the making of "Funny Business" from the acquisition and archival processing of the Art Buchwald Papers by the Manuscript Division to Hill’s use of materials from the collection to craft his critically acclaimed book, which Seth Meyers has described as bringing “Buchwald’s charming and zany career back to life.” Michael Hill is a professional historical researcher who has assisted many authors of bestselling history books, biographies, and documentary programs through his study of archival resources—among them David McCullough, Jon Meacham, Michael Beschloss, and Ken Burns. In doing so he has made extensive use of Manuscript Division collections. Hill was also a press assistant to former vice president Walter F. Mondale.

Made at the Library is an event series highlighting works inspired by and emerging from research at the Library of Congress. Featuring authors, artists, and other creators in conversation with Library experts, this series takes a deep dive into the process of working with Library’s collections.

Please request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or ada@loc.gov.

Jan 26, 2023 12:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)