About this book
The Patient Observer And His Friends by Simeon Strunsky delivers a charmingly observant collection of essays that blend humor, criticism, and urban memoir. Strunsky’s patient narrator and his conversational friends—Harrington, Cooper, and Harding—roam topics from cowardice and the pulpit to newspapers, doctors, Brooklyn life, and the quirks of culture in early-20th-century America.
As an essay/short nonfiction work of literature, these pieces—first published in 1910 in the New York Evening Post and other periodicals—capture the manners, debates, and literary tastes of a cosmopolitan era. Strunsky’s tone is urbane and gently satirical: he dissects public liars, collectors, the “everlasting feminine,” and even the latest Martian fancies with intelligence and wit, never resorting to mean-spiritedness. The book is both a snapshot of its time and a timeless study of how we observe one another.
Perfect for listeners who love literary nonfiction, cultural history, or witty social commentary, this audiobook suits commuters and contemplative readers alike—bite-sized essays that reward attention and invite repeat listening.
