Inspired by his own eccentric aunt, Patrick Dennis's Auntie Mame is a madcap comedy, published with an afterword by Matteo Codignola in Penguin Modern Classics.
'Auntie Mame and I learned to love one another in as brief and painless a period as possible. That her amazing personality would attract me, just as it had seduced thousands of others, was a foregone conclusion. Her helter-skelter charm was, after all, notorious ...'
When shy young heir Patrick is orphaned at the tender age of ten, the only family he has is his wealthy and eccentric aunt, a fabulous New York socialite named Mame. While prone to dramatic costumes, flights of fancy and expensive whims - not least her lives as a muse and a Southern belle - Auntie Mame will raise Patrick the only way she knows how: with madcap humour, mishaps, unforgettable friends and lots and lots of love. Turned into a play, a musical, and adapted into a 1974 film directed by Gene Saks and starring Lucille Ball, Auntie Mame is the most magnificent and hilarious work of love, style, wit and the life of a very modern Aunt. 
Patrick Dennis (1921-76) was one of the most widely read American authors of the 1950s and '60s. Among his sixteen novels, the majority of which were bestsellers, are Little Me, Around the World with Auntie Mame, Tony, How Firm a Foundation and Genius. A celebrity in bohemian New York culture, he led a double life as a bisexual man and a conventional husband and father, until becoming an exemplary butler to the elite in West Palm Beach and Chicago in the 1970s. In his own words, he attributed this change to being 'out of fashion' - and, 'I've said everything that I had to say. Twice.'
If you enjoyed Auntie Mame, you might like Breakfast at Tiffany's, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.
'Extravagant follies and delirious escapades' The New York Times

Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade (Penguin Modern Classics)

Literature & Fiction

DENNIS, Patrick

Humor & Satire

Penguin Classics

Auntie Mame

Amazon.com Review First a book, then a play, then a musical and a couple of movie versions--Auntie Mame became a multi-media sensation long before the term was invented. Mame first burst upon the public's consciousness in 1955, with the publication of Patrick Dennis's classic novel, Auntie Mame. More than 40 years later, the book is still in print, and still a delight to read. Who can resist that force of nature, Mame Dennis, who takes over the rearing of her orphaned nephew Patrick and turns his life into one wild escapade after another? She enrolls Patrick in a progressive school where, among other things, the students strip naked and pretend to be fish, laying and fertilizing eggs; in a later chapter, she busts him out of a conservative prep school, driving a stolen car. During Patrick's college years, she's almost caught dallying with one of his classmates in the dorm. Auntie Mame is a novel that holds up well over the years. The times it describes were simpler in many ways than they are today, which may account for some of the book's charm. But in the end, the success of Patrick Dennis's frequently hilarious and always entertaining tribute to unconventional family life rests on the affectionate, funny friendship between young Patrick and his one-of-a-kind guardian. Product Description "Outrageous, hilarious, ribald, sophisticated, slapsatiric." The Denver PostWith a wit as sharp as a vodka stinger and a heart as free as her spirit, Auntie Mame burst onto the literary scene in 1955 -- and today remains one of the most unforgettable characters in contemporary fiction. Follow the rollicking adventures of this unflappable flapper as seen through the wide eyes of her young, impressionable nephew and discover anew or for the first time why Mame has made the world a more wonderful place . . . Review "I reread and study Auntie Mame like a hilarious, glamorous bible where, among other wise lessons, one learns that true sophistication and innocence are two halves of the same glittering coin."--Charles Busch, author of The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife and Vampire Lesbians of Sodom"Auntie Mame is the American Alice in Wonderland. It is also, incidentally, one of the most important books in my life. Its witty Wildean phrases ring in my mind, and its flamboyant characters still enamor me. Like Tennessee Williams, Patrick Dennis caught the boldness, vitality, and iridescent theatricality of modern American personality. In Mame’s mercurial metamorphoses we see American optimism and self-invention writ large."--Camille Paglia, author of Sexual Personae"Mame Dennis is the grande dame of grand dames and I, for one, am thrilled that she’s back among us. She is still hilarious, sparkling, and utterly indestructible despite the best efforts of time, neglect, and Lucille Ball."--Joe Keenan, Emmy-Winning Writer/Producer for Frasier, author of Blue Heaven and Putting on the Ritz"Auntie Mameis a unique literary achievementa brilliant novel disguised as a lightweight piece of fluff. Every page sparkles with wit, style andthough Mame would cringe at the thoughthigh moral purpose. Let’s hope Patrick Dennis is finally recognized for what he is: One of the great comedic writers of the 20th century."--Robert Plunket, author of Love Junkie From the Trade Paperback edition. From the Inside Flap eous, hilarious, ribald, sophisticated, slapsatiric." The Denver PostWith a wit as sharp as a vodka stinger and a heart as free as her spirit, Auntie Mame burst onto the literary scene in 1955 -- and today remains one of the most unforgettable characters in contemporary fiction. Follow the rollicking adventures of this unflappable flapper as seen through the wide eyes of her young, impressionable nephew and discover anew or for the first time why Mame has made the world a more wonderful place . . . Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter OneAuntie Mameand the Orphan BoyIt has rained all day. No

Ballantine Books

How Firm a Foundation

Pocket_Books

Back in print at last! From the author of Auntie Mame: the bawdy, bestselling, bountifully illustrated autobiography of an imaginary diva whose life is one hilarious mishap after another. For Belle Poitrine, née Mayble Schlumpfert, all the world's a stage and she's the most important player on it. At once coy and coercive, with a name that means "beautiful bosom" in French, she claws her way from Striver's Row to the silver screen. Recalling Belle's career, which ranged from portraying Anne Boleyn in Oh, Henry to roles in both Sodom and its sequel Gomorrah (not to mention the classic Papaya Paradise), Little Me serves up copious quanitites of husbands, couture, and Pink Lady cocktails, with international adventures and a murder trial to boot. A runaway bestseller that made its way to Broadway, starring Sid Caesar in 1962 and Martin Short in 1998, Little Me is now reprinted--with all of the 150 historic, hysterical photographs depicting the funniest scenes from Belle's sordid life, including cameo appearances by the author and Rosalind Russell. Considered a collector's item, the first edition of Little Me was like a performance in book form. Now this glittering spoof of celebrity is gloriously reincarnated for connoisseurs of all things chick and cheeky.

Little Me: The Intimate Memoirs of that Great Star of Stage, Screen and Television/Belle Poitrine

Dramas & Plays

Crown

Encore, Encore! The brilliant sequel to the smash bestseller Auntie Mame is back and the reviews are in . . .

Around the World With Auntie Mame: A Novel

In the sequel to "Auntie Mame," the eccentric Mrs. Burnside embarks on a series of adventures with her nephew before he begins college

Around the World With Auntie Mame (G.K. Hall Large Print Perennial Bestseller Collection)

Short Stories & Anthologies

G.K.Hall & Co.

When young Patrick is orphaned, he goes to live with a wealthy, unpredictable aunt in New York City

Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade (G.K. Hall Large Print Perennial Bestseller Collection)

"Outrageous, hilarious, ribald, sophisticated, slapsatiric." The Denver Post With a wit as sharp as a vodka stinger and a heart as free as her spirit, Auntie Mame burst onto the literary scene in 1955 -- and today remains one of the most unforgettable characters in contemporary fiction. Follow the rollicking adventures of this unflappable flapper as seen through the wide eyes of her young, impressionable nephew and discover anew or for the first time why Mame has made the world a more wonderful place . . .

Reference

Amereon Ltd

Around the World With Auntie Mame

Encore, Encore! The brilliant sequel to the smash bestseller Auntie Mame is back and the reviews are in . . .

Around the World with Auntie Mame

Contemporary

Amereon Limited

"Outrageous, hilarious, ribald, sophisticated, slapsatiric." The Denver Post With a wit as sharp as a vodka stinger and a heart as free as her spirit, Auntie Mame burst onto the literary scene in 1955 -- and today remains one of the most unforgettable characters in contemporary fiction. Follow the rollicking adventures of this unflappable flapper as seen through the wide eyes of her young, impressionable nephew and discover anew or for the first time why Mame has made the world a more wonderful place . . .

Buccaneer Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by DENNIS, Patrick. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by DENNIS, Patrick

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by DENNIS, Patrick. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade (Penguin Modern Classics)

Auntie Mame

How Firm a Foundation

Little Me: The Intimate Memoirs of that Great Star of Stage, Screen and Television/Belle Poitrine

Around the World With Auntie Mame: A Novel

Around the World With Auntie Mame (G.K. Hall Large Print Perennial Bestseller Collection)

Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade (G.K. Hall Large Print Perennial Bestseller Collection)

Auntie Mame

Around the World with Auntie Mame

Auntie Mame