Don Marquis

Born in Illinois in 1878, Don Marquis became an American humorist, journalist, poet, playwright, and novelist whose writing reached a wide audience through newspapers as well as books. He spent much of his career in journalism, and that fast, conversational style helped make his work feel especially approachable.

He is most closely associated with archy and mehitabel, his much-loved comic creations: a cockroach who types in lowercase because he cannot work the shift key, and an alley cat with a grand view of life. Through them, Marquis mixed satire, tenderness, and everyday observation in a way that made his humor stand out.

Marquis died in New York City in 1937, but his writing has lasted because it is both funny and human. He could be playful and absurd one moment, then surprisingly wise the next, which is a big part of why readers still return to him.