Russell Baker

Russell Baker has been charming readers for years with his astute political commentary and biting cerebral wit. The noted journalist, humorist, essayist, and biographer has written or edited numerous books, and was the author of the nationally syndicated "Observer" column for the New York Times from 1962 to 1998. Called by Robert Sherrill of the Washington Post Book World, "the supreme satirist of this half-century," Baker is most famous for turning the daily gossip of most newspapers into the stuff of laugh-out-loud literature.

Baker received his first Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary in 1979, in recognition of his "Observer" column. He received his second Pulitzer Prize in 1983 for his autobiography, Growing Up. In addition to his regular column and many books, Baker has also edited the anthologies The Norton Book of Light Verse and Russell Baker's Book of American Humor.