Exterior Signs of Wealth
| Fran Lebowitz | |
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Fran Lebowitz in 2011
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| Born | Frances Ann Lebowitz October 27, 1950 Morristown, New Jersey, United States |
| Occupation | Author, writer, public speaker |
| Nationality | American |
| Notable works |
Metropolitan Life Social Studies The Fran Lebowitz Reader |
Frances Ann "Fran" Lebowitz (born October 27, 1950) is an American author and public speaker. Lebowitz is known for her sardonic social commentary on American life as filtered through her New York City sensibilities. Some reviewers have called her a modern-day Dorothy Parker.
Lebowitz was born and raised in Morristown, New Jersey. Lebowitz describes her "Jewish identity [as] ethnic or cultural or whatever people call it now. But it's not religious." She has been an atheist since the age of 7.
After being expelled from high school and receiving a GED, Lebowitz worked various odd jobs before Andy Warhol hired her as a columnist for Interview. This was followed by a stint at Mademoiselle. Her first two books were the essay collections Metropolitan Life (1978) and Social Studies (1981), both collected in The Fran Lebowitz Reader.
Lebowitz has been known, in part, for Exterior Signs of Wealth, a long-overdue, unfinished novel, purportedly about rich people who want to be artists, and artists who want to be rich. She also made several appearances on Late Night with David Letterman and had a recurring role as Judge Janice Goldberg on the television drama Law & Order from 2001 to 2007.
A heavy smoker, Lebowitz is known for her advocacy of smokers' rights.
In September 2007, Lebowitz was named one of the year's most stylish women in Vanity Fair's 68th Annual International Best-Dressed List; she is known for wearing several distinctive pieces:
On November 17, 2010, Lebowitz returned to The Late Show with David Letterman after a 16-year absence. She discussed her years-long writer's block, which she jokingly referred to as a "writer's blockade." On November 22, 2010, HBO debuted Public Speaking, Martin Scorsese's documentary about her containing interviews and clips from speaking engagements.
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