35 years ago today, the world lost the funniest writer it has ever known. Mr Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, In my humble opinion, the greatest user of the English Language ever.
Like in my last Blog, about Charles M Schulz, I can do nothing better than to use The Master's own words to pay tribute. Unfortunately it is easier with Schulz than it is with Wodehouse (I am not going to reproduce an entire story here). So I have decided to recommend 10 Wodehouse books... This is a very difficult process as I would have to decide what to leave out, but I'm after ten that provide conclusive evidence that he was the funniest writer, combined with ten that demonstrate the vastness of his canon, so there will be only one Jeeves book, one Blandings etc... So here goes.
1) Thank you Jeeves.
2) Heavy Weather
3) Clicking of Cuthbert
4) Meet Mr Mulliner
5) Damsel in Distress
6) Young Men in Spats
7) Bill the Conqueror
8) Hot Water
9) Ukridge
10) The Small Bachelor
Showing posts with label Humour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Humour. Show all posts
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
It's the year of Anniversaries Charlie Brown
10 years ago on February 12th 2000, the world lost a comic genius and a great Cartoonist. Charles M Schulz died in the year when Peanuts celebrated its 50th Anniversary. That makes this year also the 60th Anniversary of Peanuts.
Now I have written about my love of Schulz, Charlie Brown and All of Peanuts before. (See Here) but I thought as 2010 starts, a year with anniversaries, I’ll dedicate another blog.
A younger version of myself was allowed to use a book token he received as a Christmas gift, to buy a book to take on Holiday. This was the first time an opportunity like this had ever been given to me and I knew exactly what book I was going to choose. Entering a bookshop in Bishops Stortford, that if memory serves me correctly was called the Castle Bookshop, I went straight over and picked up a book called, ‘It’s Raining On Your Parade Charlie Brown’. This was the first book I ever purchased and the first opportunity I’d had to read Peanuts rather than to view the cartoons on television. I loved Peanuts then and I love it now.
This simple act alone ensures that I owe Charles Montrose Schulz a huge debt of gratitude, add into the mix the humour, the wonderful writing, drawing and the hours of enjoyment his art has given me, than the debt develops to gargantuan proportions. When I’m feeling down these days, I simply have to pick up my copy of, ‘You Really Don’t Look Fifty Charlie Brown’ and read not only the Cartoons, but the text Schulz inserts between Cartoons to explain where ideas came from and other biographical data.
Is there anything more American than Charlie Brown and his friends?
Nobody, apart from Wodehouse, influenced my work more, and I wonder what he would have thought about my writing? Would he have liked it? I’m not sure and I never will be. Although I think it’s safe to say a certain person would not enjoy my work, (See Below).
Now I have written about my love of Schulz, Charlie Brown and All of Peanuts before. (See Here) but I thought as 2010 starts, a year with anniversaries, I’ll dedicate another blog.
A younger version of myself was allowed to use a book token he received as a Christmas gift, to buy a book to take on Holiday. This was the first time an opportunity like this had ever been given to me and I knew exactly what book I was going to choose. Entering a bookshop in Bishops Stortford, that if memory serves me correctly was called the Castle Bookshop, I went straight over and picked up a book called, ‘It’s Raining On Your Parade Charlie Brown’. This was the first book I ever purchased and the first opportunity I’d had to read Peanuts rather than to view the cartoons on television. I loved Peanuts then and I love it now.
This simple act alone ensures that I owe Charles Montrose Schulz a huge debt of gratitude, add into the mix the humour, the wonderful writing, drawing and the hours of enjoyment his art has given me, than the debt develops to gargantuan proportions. When I’m feeling down these days, I simply have to pick up my copy of, ‘You Really Don’t Look Fifty Charlie Brown’ and read not only the Cartoons, but the text Schulz inserts between Cartoons to explain where ideas came from and other biographical data.
Is there anything more American than Charlie Brown and his friends?
Nobody, apart from Wodehouse, influenced my work more, and I wonder what he would have thought about my writing? Would he have liked it? I’m not sure and I never will be. Although I think it’s safe to say a certain person would not enjoy my work, (See Below).
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Need To Know Basis
Do you know, I don’t think I’ve ever said to anyone, ‘It’s on a need to know basis.’ And I’m struggling to think of any times I’ve ever had that phrase said to me.
Maybe it is just a phrase that I am never to encounter like, ‘Wow you look good.’ Or, ‘We would be delighted to publish your poems.’
I suppose this means I do not live a secretive enough life that some things need to be on a strictly, ‘need to know basis.’
Maybe there is nothing I need to know, and nothing I need to share.
This phrase needs to enter my vocabulary, cause when it does it will mean I live a more interesting life than I do now and I won’t be wasting my time thinking about why a phrase is not part of my life…
Peace everyone…
Maybe it is just a phrase that I am never to encounter like, ‘Wow you look good.’ Or, ‘We would be delighted to publish your poems.’
I suppose this means I do not live a secretive enough life that some things need to be on a strictly, ‘need to know basis.’
Maybe there is nothing I need to know, and nothing I need to share.
This phrase needs to enter my vocabulary, cause when it does it will mean I live a more interesting life than I do now and I won’t be wasting my time thinking about why a phrase is not part of my life…
Peace everyone…
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
A poetic example
An example of the sort of work I write poetically...
Raining In The Library
How on Earth can this possibly be?
It’s raining in the Library.
How can this be happening?
Whoever heard of such a thing?
It shouldn’t rain when you’re indoors,
But in this Library it pours.
Now all the books they will be wet
And the readers will be so upset.
Who would have thought that you would be needing
An umbrella when you came in to do some reading?
I don’t know how this is, to tell you the truth,
Maybe there’s a hole in the roof.
I really, really can’t explain,
Why in this Library it does rain.
Maybe it’s my imagination.
Maybe that’s the only explanation.
But until I’m sure the rain has stopped.
Under the table is the position I will adopt.
Raining In The Library
How on Earth can this possibly be?
It’s raining in the Library.
How can this be happening?
Whoever heard of such a thing?
It shouldn’t rain when you’re indoors,
But in this Library it pours.
Now all the books they will be wet
And the readers will be so upset.
Who would have thought that you would be needing
An umbrella when you came in to do some reading?
I don’t know how this is, to tell you the truth,
Maybe there’s a hole in the roof.
I really, really can’t explain,
Why in this Library it does rain.
Maybe it’s my imagination.
Maybe that’s the only explanation.
But until I’m sure the rain has stopped.
Under the table is the position I will adopt.
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