Ogden Nash emerged as one of America's favorite poets during the twentieth century, gaining fame for his light-hearted and comedic verse. Despite his popularity and commercial success, he never garnered significant critical acclaim due to his focus on humorous poetry. Over the course of four decades, Nash wrote an impressive thirty volumes of verse, excluding his children's poetry, with several collections published posthumously.

Early Life and Education

Born in Rye, New York, in 1902, Nash experienced a childhood marked by frequent moves between Rye and Savannah, Georgia, where his father operated a naval stores business. Nash attended multiple schools and, due to a decline in his eyesight, was homeschooled by his mother for a period. At the age of fifteen, he enrolled at St. George’s School, a boarding school in Newport, Rhode Island, before briefly attending Harvard University in 1920. However, his time at Harvard was short-lived, as he departed after just one year.

Initial Struggles and Breakthrough

After leaving Harvard, Nash found himself in a series of entry-level positions on Wall Street, courtesy of family connections. These roles left him unsatisfied, and he eventually transitioned to writing advertising copy for streetcar signs. A turning point came in 1925 when he co-published a children's book. This venture led to a position in the advertising department at Doubleday, where Nash began selling poems to The New Yorker. Harold Ross, the magazine's editor, recognized Nash's talent and invited him to join the team as managing editor—a role he held briefly.

Rise to Popularity

Despite the economic challenges of the Great Depression, Nash managed to sustain his career in writing. His verses published in magazines gained immense popularity, prompting Simon and Schuster, a leading publisher in New York, to compile them into a book. This collection, titled Hard Lines, became a bestseller, with 40,000 copies sold in its first year. Buoyed by this success, Nash married Frances Rider Leonard in 1931.

Hollywood and Beyond

By 1933, Nash had signed a contract with The Saturday Evening Post for twenty-six poems annually, enabling him to focus solely on his verse. His productivity peaked in 1935, with 157 poems published in that year alone. That same year, he ventured into Hollywood to write for films—a pursuit he ultimately found distasteful.

World War II and New Opportunities

In 1942, as the United States entered World War II, Nash struggled to maintain his light-hearted style. During this time, he was approached by German composer Kurt Weill, who sought Nash's lyric-writing skills for a Broadway musical. The resulting production, One Touch of Venus, was a tremendous hit, significantly enhancing Nash's reputation and broadening his career opportunities.

Television and Children's Literature

Post-war America found Nash thriving on the lecture circuit, where he entertained audiences with his poetry and comedic commentary on contemporary issues. His charisma made him a natural fit for television, leading to his role as a regular panelist on the game show Masquerade Party from 1953 to 1957. During this period, Nash also discovered the commercial potential of the whimsical verse stories he created for his daughters, prompting a successful venture into children's literature. His eldest daughter, Linnell, contributed as an illustrator, launching her own career in the process.

Legacy and Style

Ogden Nash's legacy as a master of light verse in America mirrors that of Edward Lear in nineteenth-century England. In 1968, Nash completed Lear's unfinished children's poem, The Scroobius Pip , by adding just over two lines. Even in his later years, Nash maintained a prolific output, with his life tragically ending on May 19, 1971, due to heart failure following a stomach...