Joe Queenan
American journalism in the second half of the twentieth century drew from a wide range of voices, each shaped by distinct formations and national contexts. Joe Queenan is one such voice, working within that broad professional tradition.
Born on November 3, 1950, Queenan is a citizen of the United States and a journalist who writes in English. He received his education at Saint Joseph's University. Beyond those coordinates — nationality, occupation, language, and educational background — the facts on record here do not elaborate further on the particular contours of his career or the range of outlets and subjects his journalism has addressed.
Queenan's name is entered in the Library of Congress Name Authority File under the authorized heading "Queenan, Joe." That designation places him within the controlled bibliographic record maintained by one of the principal institutions of American letters. It is a form of documentation that applies to writers who have established a traceable presence in the published record — concrete in what it confirms, and careful in what it does not claim beyond that confirmation.
Quotes by Joe Queenan
Still, it was impossible to deny: Going all the way to London without taking time out to attend a few horrendous plays was like making a special trip to Hell without ever asking to meet Satan. So this time around, I decided to plunge in headfirst. Never a fan of Noel Coward, I nonetheless reported to the Albery Theatre, forked over a king’s ransom for a good seat, and watched Alan Rickman act up a storm in Private Lives.
If you have read 6,000 books in your lifetime, or even 600, it’s probably because at some level you find ‘reality’ a bit of a disappointment.
A reading life... is an adventure without maps where you meet unexpected soulmates along the way.
At long last, I felt a sense of accomplishment and a sense of closure. In the secret places of my very small heart, I had long entertained dreams of coming back in my next life as a moron.
Books are a way of saying: This room seems to have more than its fair share of bozos in it.
Library events scare me, as they provide refuge for local historians, fabulists, tellers of tall tales, historical reenactors, and even dream weavers. Not to mention the single most feared creature on the planet: the self-published poet.
I dread that awkward moment when a friend hands you the book that changed his or her life, and it is a book that you have despised since you were fourteen.
Unless paid, I never read books by or about businessmen or politicians, nor should anyone else.
I like to stack them up on the shelf and move them about and rearrange them according to new parameters-height, color, thickness, provenance, publisher, author’s nationality, subject matter, likelihood that I will ever read them. Then I put them back the way they were.
Good books don’t make you think, because the author has already done all of the thinking for you, but a terrible book can really give your brain a workout, because you spend so much time wondering what incredibly dumb thing the author will say next.