Ode to a Typewriter

The rise, fall, and rise again of a trusty machine

A close up an Olympia typewriter (Robert Isenberg)

Awriter’s love letter to a favorite possession—and at least one positive thing to come out of the pandemic era.

Notes & Addenda

• The Olympia-Werke company was founded in 1903 and manufactured typewriters for about 90 years.
• Your parents tell a funny story about how they purchased an all-manual typewriter in the off-chance that there would be some sort of global disaster, followed by an electrical blackout. Only later did they realize that, if there were such a disaster, typing letters would be the last of their concerns.
• An earlier (print) version of this story appeared in Providence Monthly in 2020.