Thurber's witty short stories and lumpy cartoons were a popular mainstay of The New Yorker magazine in the 1930s and 1940s. A Midwestern boy with an urbane twist, Thurber mixed comical reminiscences of his Ohio childhood with wry observations on modern times and the battle of the sexes. Thurber became increasingly morose in his last decade, although he continued to write until his death. His books include the New Yorker memoir THE YEARS WITH ROSS (1959), and the short story collections THE MIDDLE-AGED MAN ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE (1935) and THE THURBER VARNIVAL (1933). He also wrote the 1950 children's book THE THIRTEEN CLOCKS. With Elliot Nugent he wrote the play THE MALE ANIMAL. THE THURBER VARNIVAL also has become a popular stage play.
