Art Buchwald

Overcoming Adversity

Art Buchwald (October 20, 1925 – January 17, 2007) was one of America’s most popular humorists who “spoofed the tangled web of national politics and the muddle of modern life” as a syndicated columnist for The Washington Post. Buchwald was once described as a “Will Rogers with chutzpah.” He was born in New York, his family’s business failed during the Great Depression, and he moved between foster homes. His life was marked by unhappiness and alienation, and, at age 17, he dropped out of high school, and joined the United States Marine Corps during World War II. In 1945, Buchwald enrolled at the University of Southern California on the G.I. Bill, became managing editor of the campus magazine, and wrote a column for the college newspaper. He quit USC in 1948, and bought a one-way ticket to Paris. Buchwald became a popular columnist for the Paris edition of The New York Herald Tribune. He returned to the United States in 1962, and went on to write a column, which appeared in 550 newspapers worldwide, and he authored more than 30 books. He was the most widely read newspaper humorist of his time. In 1982, Buchwald received the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. Throughout most his life, he battled chronic depression. In 1994, Art Buchwald addressed the student delegates at the Achievement Summit about his extraordinary life and career as a journalist.