”To write a book is hard; to write a funny book is harder; to write a funny book both wise and funny is the prerogative of Mr. Mikes” The Times
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If you want to succeed here you must be able to handle the English sense of humour.
So proclaims George Mikes” timeless exploration of this curious phenomenon. Whether it”s understatement, self-deprecation or plain cruelty, the three elements he identifies as essential to our sense of humour, being witty here is a way of life.
Perfectly placed as an adopted Englishman himself, Mikes delivers his shrewd advice – helpfully divided into ”Theory” and ”Practice” – with a comic precision that does his chosen country proud. Drawing on a trove of examples from our rich comic canon, from Orwell (‘Every joke is a tiny revolution’) to Oscar Wilde, this is the essential handbook for natives and foreigners alike.
Mrs Kennedy: ‘I don”t think, Mr Churchill, that I have told you anything about my grandchildren.’
Winston Churchill: ‘For which, madam, I am infinitely grateful.’
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