English Humour for Beginners - Softcover

Mikes, George

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0241978548 ISBN 13: 9780241978542

Publisher: Penguin, 2016

Synopsis

'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."

About this title

About the Author

George Mikes (pronounced 'me-cash'), was born in Hungary 1912. In 1938 he moved to London to become the correspondent for a Hungarian newspaper, and then he never left. A keen observer of the behaviour and misbehaviour of foreigners and natives in Britain, he is frequently cited by later authors including Kate Fox and Jeremy Paxman. He died in London in 1987.

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0241978548
• ISBN 13: 9780241978542
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160