Judith Martin

Judith Martin (born Judith Perlman on September 13, 1938), better known by the pen name Miss Manners, is an American writer and etiquette authority.

Related Topics:
September 13 - 1938 - Pen name - American - Etiquette

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She writes a twice-weekly advice column for the Washington Post which is syndicated in many newspapers. In it, she answers etiquette questions contributed by her readers. She frequently adds short essays on problems of manners, or to improve understanding of the essential quality of politeness. Martin writes about the ideas and intentions underpinning seemingly simple rules, providing a complex and advanced perspective which she refers to as "heavy etiquette theory". Her columns, noted for their wit, analysis, and broad knowledge of history and customs and their applications to the problems of today, are collected in a number of books.

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In a 1995 interview by Virginia Shea, Miss Manners said, "You can deny all you want that there is etiquette, and a lot of people do in everyday life. But if you behave in a way that offends the people you're trying to deal with, they will stop dealing with you...There are plenty of people who say, 'We don't care about etiquette, but we can't stand the way so-and-so behaves, and we don't want him around!' Etiquette doesn't have the great sanctions that the law has. But the main sanction we do have is in not dealing with these people and isolating them because their behavior is unbearable."

Related Topics:
Sanction - Law - Behavior

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Before she began the advice column, she was a journalist and theater and film critic. She was born and raised in Washington, D.C., where she still lives and works.

Related Topics:
Journalist - Washington, D.C.

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