THE MAN WHO MADE MARK TWAIN FAMOUS

A memoir from the man behind the top national award for comedy.

As co-founder and executive producer for the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, McGarr clearly understands the landscape of American humor. He has spent his life as a political insider, fundraiser, philanthropist, hedge fund manager, and friend of numerous luminaries from the world of entertainment. In his 2016 remarks, honoree Bill Murray noted, “Cappy just keeps buggin’ ya and you end up doing things. You don’t know why. I still don’t know what he does. I heard that extensive biography; we still can’t figure out what he does, except he’s kind of an autograph collector, I guess. I don’t know what he does for a living. I have no idea. I think he’s the spook, I think he’s CIA or something, but I don’t know.” In addition to the main narrative, McGarr includes copies of the notes as well as photos he has received from comedians and politicians as well as photos. The author regales us with stories about the graciousness of most recipients—except for Bill Cosby, who wasn’t (and who later got his award rescinded)—and he discusses how the first award, bestowed on Richard Pryor in 1998, was almost the last, after Chris Rock attracted controversy for some of his comments honoring Pryor during the ceremony. The foreword is by Ken Burns, the acclaimed documentarian and friend of the author, who also includes quoted reactions from prize recipients (“2005: Steve Martin: ‘I think Mark Twain is a great guy, and I can’t wait to meet him’ ”), three appendixes, and a “Name Drop Directory” of the celebrities mentioned in each chapter. The material on the award would fit nicely as a long-form magazine piece, while the rest is more than most readers may wish to know about McGarr. Commendably, he is donating all the proceeds to Kennedy Center arts education programs.

The author’s self-deprecating wit makes him good company.