Irvin S. Cobb

Born and raised in Paducah, Kentucky, Irvin S. Cobb rose from his humble beginnings to national renown as one of America’s most celebrated writers during the early twentieth century. Shortly after leaving Kentucky for New York, Cobb earned a job at Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World and became one of the highest paid staff reporters in the United States. Soon he was writing articles and short stories for magazines as well. Today, Cobb is remembered best for his sharp wit expressed through his fiction. As a product of Reconstruction and the Jim Crow South, Cobb’s subtle racism has largely denied him prominence in American memory, but his work provides a unique insight into the prevailing mind-set of his time. In Irvin S. Cobb: The Rise and Fall of an American Humorist, historian William E. Ellis examines the life of this significant writer, contextualizing his humor within the “Lost Cause” narrative. The son of a Confederate soldier and nephew of a famous Confederate artillery officer, Cobb was ensnared by southernracism, often bemoaning the North’s treatment of the South and creating stereotypical African American characters in his work. Even though he left Kentucky for the financially greener pastures of New York, Cobb never forgot his southern roots. His native Paducah molded him into a great storyteller, an engaging humorist, anobservant reporter, and a racist. Despite his flaws, Cobb’s vivid and humorous portrayals of Kentucky won him fame, wealth, and influence for decades.