The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists Shelves: novels , sassysassenachs , pre-1900s , oxford-classics 11 April Sat down to write a capsule review of The Diary of a Nobody. Interrupted by a loving thump at the door. It was Mark Nicholls from my review of Italo Calvino’s If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller, a piece of spoof metafiction that ranks as my most liked GR review. I studied my 23-year-old self carefully then looked at my 25-year-old self and noted nothing had changed facially in two years except I was even more handsomely bespectacled. “Would you like to buy a copy of . . . ?” he began, bu 11 April Sat down to write a capsule review of The Diary of a Nobody. Interrupted by a loving thump at the door. It was Mark Nicholls from my review of Italo Calvino’s If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller, a piece of spoof metafiction that ranks as my most liked GR review.

I studied my 23-year-old self carefully then looked at my 25-year-old self and noted nothing had changed facially in two years except I was even more handsomely bespectacled. “Would you like to buy a copy of . . . ?” he began, but I’d heard it before. After all, I wrote it. “Finished that novel we started in 2009 yet?” he asked snidely. “Yes! I finished that like a month ago,” I said, triumphantly. Mark Nicholls from 2009 circled the Mark Nicholls from 2012 like a toreador taunting a pacifist bull. “Wow. Speedy Gonzalez. You must be the new Joyce Carol Oates,” he said. I snickered, neglecting to tell him about our vagina transplant. 12 April I change to the present tense since the review is being written today, contrary to the opening sentence. That’s an example of what we call in the trade “unreliable narration.” Having doubts about writing a spoof diary review, despite having spoofed since my teens. I put on the new Big Sexy Noise album, Trust the Witch.

Lydia Lunch appears on my desk and berates me for being a pussywhipped pastyasted whitebred chickenshed motherloving dolescrouging booksucking bitchboy. I tell her that’s far too many dashless hybrid words for a Thursday. She laughs and we have anal and a slice of malt loaf. 13 April I will change tense, since this day follows the day on which the review was written. The question will arise, however, as to whether the first sentence needed a tense change, seeing it was written yesterday. (Although this isn’t true either—the review was actually written on the Wednesday night with a view to being posted on the Thursday!) I will walk to cupboard, where Dostoevsky’s skin is hanging on a coat hanger, awaiting its body. The doorbell will ring. A fleshy bone arrangement with organs will stand there and say: “Looking for Fyodor’s skin. Is he in?” I will wrinkle my beautiful eyes. “How do you know your skin’s a she?” I will ask. “All women will be brought low beneath the eyes of our Creator!” he will shout. “OK, cool it, come in,” I’ll say.

“Ooh, using contractions now, are we?” he’ll ask. I’ll say: “Yup.” 10 April I started to read The Diary of a Nobody. I thought how clever it might be to write a spoof review, using surreal antics as a contrast to the novel’s straight-laced satire. I realised that would probably be a mistake. 25 April (morning) Manny turns up fourteen days too late for the review. He tries to attract attention by pirouetting on the coffee table, but at his age the best he can manage is a forward roll on the settee. Winnie the Pooh walks in and bitches about his boyfriend Dante, who won’t go all the way with him. “To Hell and back, he says!” Pooh sneers. “I’m not that kind of bear.” Manny’s had enough with this review and returns to Yoga For Men where he demonstrates a perfect backwards lotuscrab triple-swivel manoeuvre while sucking a toffee apple.

25 April (afternoon) Then Knig-o-lass walks in and says: “This suspirro is a cataclysmic feuerwerk of inconsequentialityness.” She curtsies to Pooh and then scarpers. ...more Shelves: 19th-century , novel , british-isles , humour This reminded me of Three Men in a Boat in that I don't feel that some great moments add up to a great book. A diary format allowed the Grossmith's to have a series of comic (view spoiler) [ I use the term lightly - comic at least in their opinion, the reader will make up their own mind (hide spoiler) ] incidents without the inconvenience of a plot, although there are some long running story lines that are tied up by the end of the book. The diary is written by Mr Pooter, a senior bank clerk who wor This reminded me of Three Men in a Boat in that I don't feel that some great moments add up to a great book.

A diary format allowed the Grossmith's to have a series of comic (view spoiler) [ I use the term lightly - comic at least in their opinion, the reader will make up their own mind (hide spoiler) ] incidents without the inconvenience of a plot, although there are some long running story lines that are tied up by the end of the book. The diary is written by Mr Pooter, a senior bank clerk who works in the City of London (view spoiler) [ now that's a Britishism...For none UKers the City of London is a separate legal entity located in central London where various financial institutions have their headquarters (hide spoiler) ] and records the trials and tribulations of his late Victorian life after moving into a new home. The idea is that you find his self-importance and occasional pomposities amusing and it helps to be socially superior to characters of this sort for the book to work. This the humour of an in-egalitarian society, jokes turn on the snobbishness and angst of middle-class Victorian life, for example Pooter is extremely satisfied to be invited to a fancy event and extremely dissatisfied when he finds one of his neighbours - who in his eyes is only a tradesman - is also there.

I'm of too low a social class to be as thoroughly amused as the target audience (view spoiler) [ or perhaps my funny bone simply has a different angle, you've got to be open minded about these things (hide spoiler) ], for instance I found Pooter's pride and satisfaction in the idea of having his son work in the bank alongside him, the two of them taking the omnibus into the city together, tender rather than comic. The character names like Pooter or his friends Cummings and Gowings give you another idea of the Grossmith's sense of humour. If you're not smiling or groaning at those then your smile to page ratio is lightly to be low. However there are some ideas that build up into great comic scenes, notably those involving a tin of red paint and what to do with it (view spoiler) [answer: paint many, many things (hide spoiler) ]. If you are going to read it, I recommend an edition with the original illustrations. ...more Jan 03, 2013 Jonathan Stephenson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition Brilliant! A book filled with unimportant characters, not about anything in particular, in which nothing much happens.

Well not exactly, this is a satire on being ordinary. Admittedly modern readers may not find it as funny as when it was first published in Punch in the late 19th century, as the context and detail of Victorian middle-class values that it parodies are no longer an immediately understood reference point and tastes in, as well as expectations of, humour have moved on. What it pokes Brilliant! A book filled with unimportant characters, not about anything in particular, in which nothing much happens. Well not exactly, this is a satire on being ordinary. Admittedly modern readers may not find it as funny as when it was first published in Punch in the late 19th century, as the context and detail of Victorian middle-class values that it parodies are no longer an immediately understood reference point and tastes in, as well as expectations of, humour have moved on. What it pokes fun at still exists in present day society and everyday life though and the subtle, not so subtle, witty and cringe-making elements of its sending up have resurfaced many times over in other comic guises and genre.

Expect a gentle sit-com, not laugh out loud stand-up style—and tune in to the delicate ridiculing of social attitudes and individual stereotypes on offer. It is full of satirical one liners and awkward moments that still have contemporary resonance. The Diary of a Nobody is exactly what its title says it is. There is no complex comic plot or hilarious dénouement. The humour is definitely quite ‘English’ and its target is urban life. If you get that it is still relevant and very amusing to read. Shelves: kindle , humor , guardian-1000 Mr. Pooter decides to keep a diary in the hopes of one day becoming the Pepys of the late Victorian era. He is a clerk of a somewhat stuffy and pompous nature but with a love of bad puns and jokes (luckily for him his wife shares his sense of humor!). I found him a little reminiscent of "The Irish R.M." in his never-ending series of domestic mishaps - both of these books amuse yet puzzle me. As a person who has never even seen a domestic servant much less employed one, the battle of control betw Mr.

Pooter decides to keep a diary in the hopes of one day becoming the Pepys of the late Victorian era. He is a clerk of a somewhat stuffy and pompous nature but with a love of bad puns and jokes (luckily for him his wife shares his sense of humor!). I found him a little reminiscent of "The Irish R.M." in his never-ending series of domestic mishaps - both of these books amuse yet puzzle me. As a person who has never even seen a domestic servant much less employed one, the battle of control between master & servant baffles me to some extent. It clearly baffles Mr. Pooter as well! He persists in thinking that he is the master and so is deserving of respect despite the fact that he rarely gets that respect even from his own son. Grossmith's satire has captured the beginning of the end for the middle-class Victorian way of life with Pooter and his son.

Pooter's worries about his son Lupin's future could be seen as a reflection of a greater concern about security and expectations for the middle-class workers and their families if the rigidity of the old-fashioned methods gives way, while Lupin's attitudes point up the impatience of the rising generation with the adherence to outmoded ideas and practices. ...more Shelves: victorian , humor , 1890s , london Bumbling Charles Pooter's memoir of timeless suburban angst The Diary of a Nobody (1892) remains remarkably modern and amusing even a century after it was first printed in Punch. Pooter can't understand his son's slang or dismal work ethic ... his wife is spellbound by new age spiritualism ... his friends continually clean out his larder and drain his wine bottles without reciprocating ... the plumbing doesn't work ... the neighbors throw garbage into his garden ... and fate seems determined to Bumbling Charles Pooter's memoir of timeless suburban angst The Diary of a Nobody (1892) remains remarkably modern and amusing even a century after it was first printed in Punch. Pooter can't understand his son's slang or dismal work ethic ... his wife is spellbound by new age spiritualism ...

his friends continually clean out his larder and drain his wine bottles without reciprocating ... the plumbing doesn't work ... the neighbors throw garbage into his garden ... and fate seems determined to insult and embarrass the stodgy old Pooter at every turn. And yet you can't help but like him as he strives to retain his dignity, grace, and composure in the face of life's small yet annoying trials. Best read a few pages at a time, the Diary offers wonderful comic relief when read along with heavier contemporary novels. ...more Mar 10, 2013 Grace Harwood rated it it was amazing "Why should I not publish my diary? I have often seen reminiscences of people I have never even heard of, and I fail to see - because I do not happen to be a 'Somebody' - why my diary should not be interesting." And thank goodness that Charles Pooter, ordinary clerk and Victorian family man decided to follow this course. The humour is gentle but had me in stitches at times and is still as funny today as it must have been for its contemporary audience of Punch readers in the 1890s. One is torn bet "Why should I not publish my diary?

I have often seen reminiscences of people I have never even heard of, and I fail to see - because I do not happen to be a 'Somebody' - why my diary should not be interesting." And thank goodness that Charles Pooter, ordinary clerk and Victorian family man decided to follow this course. The humour is gentle but had me in stitches at times and is still as funny today as it must have been for its contemporary audience of Punch readers in the 1890s. One is torn between feeling desperately sorry for Mr Pooter (and recognising that we can all be impossibly pompous and self-important at times) and laughing out loud at the many slights and injuries he receives at the hands of tradesmen and his fellow clerks. When William (now self-styling himself by his middle name "Lupin") arrives on the scene, the action picks up and the scene is set for much more hilarity as Lupin disregards his father and his old-fashioned ways and sets off on a new-fangled modern course which Pooter can only believe will lead to disgrace.

In some ways this is a comedy, but it is also a window into Victorian society from the point of view of the middle-class working man and his family. We have all the fads of the Victorian age (spiritualism makes an interesting appearance with even the sceptical Pooter getting caught up in the seances his wife and her friend start hosting) and a representation of the conflict between the thirst for progress and the concern inherent within this about "dangerous" ideas which epitomises this age. Pooter is half-pleased, half-concerned when he notes that his son Lupin has some of the same traits as the progressive Huttle: "I feel proud to think Lupin does resemble Mr. Huttle in some ways. Lupin, like Mr Huttle, has original and sometimes wonderful ideas; but it is those ideas that are so dangerous. They make men extremely rich or extremely poor. They make or break men. I always feel people are happier who live a simple unsophisticated life.

I believe I am happy because I am not ambitious." This is a lovely book - the office scenes read a bit like "The Victorian Office" with Pitt the waggish junior clerk playing the part of Tim Canterbury to Pooter's David Brent. I so enjoyed reading it and it was much, much too short for me. ...more It is with the uttermost pleasure that I read through the diary of Mr Charles Pooter of Holloway, London. Mark my words, this gentleman was certainly not a Nobody. I am aware that the excellent Mrs Pooter and the author's own son, Mr Lupin Pooter, didn't value the diary much. Nonetheless, it is my strong belief that they are both mistaken in this respect. By Jove! This distinguished gentleman - which is to say Mr Charles Pooter - not only mastered his business in the City but knew very well how It is with the uttermost pleasure that I read through the diary of Mr Charles Pooter of Holloway, London. Mark my words, this gentleman was certainly not a Nobody. I am aware that the excellent Mrs Pooter and the author's own son, Mr Lupin Pooter, didn't value the diary much.

Nonetheless, it is my strong belief that they are both mistaken in this respect. By Jove! This distinguished gentleman - which is to say Mr Charles Pooter - not only mastered his business in the City but knew very well how to draw the most exquisite portrait of a suburban life. A life that you might think of as quintessentially dull, but it shines as actually quite amusing, refreshing and dignified in this most valued diary. It is suffice to say that I am utterly delighted to discover that a man of such moral stature and of supremely noble behaviour such as Mr Pooter left his mark in the history of British literature. To tell you the truth, I value Mr Charles Pooter over the whole lot of the most accomplished humourists that England has had the privilege to breed. You might object that Jerome and Wodehouse did rather well in the same literary department and that this Nobody does not deserve to share their fame. To which objection I reply in this way; true, good old John Klapka Jerome and P.G. Wodehouse might have been particularly good when it came to depict funny vignettes and unforgettable characters, but what Charles Pooter gave to the Anglo-Saxon readers is much more: and it is style.

In fact, I am proud to state that all of its undeniable mastery the work of both authors pale by comparison to the one of Mr Pooter of Holloway. By the by, shall we forget to mention Mr Pooter's uproarius word jokes? No, we shall better not. For Mr Charles Pooter was first and foremost a diarist and a chronicler of his times (in this respect quite capable to look at a master like Samuel Pepys eye to eye), but also one of the wittiest men around. How regretful to think that a gentleman of such intellectual stature didn't have the chance to meet with his peers! For even though this diary covers a span of only a few months in the life and opinions of Charles Pooter, it is quite clear that his sharp wit was not recognized by his family, friends and acquaintances. And this Pooterish knowledge is excruciatingly painful to bear. Hail to the brilliant Mr George Grossmith for making Mr Charles Pooter's literary legacy known to the readers of today!

...more Oct 01, 2013 Ivonne Rovira rated it really liked it · review of another edition Thirty years before Sinclair Lewis published Babbit and set the standard for smug, self-important middle-class conformity, there was The Diary of a Nobody and Charles Pooter. Pooter, a senior bank clerk in the City renting a home in the London suburb of Holloway, encapsulates Victorian respectability, snobbery, and pretensions. Pooter nearly invariably gets the short end of the stick in his interactions with his two neighbors, Cummings and Gowings; his spendthrift, reckless son Lupin; and the va Thirty years before Sinclair Lewis published Babbit and set the standard for smug, self-important middle-class conformity, there was The Diary of a Nobody and Charles Pooter. Pooter, a senior bank clerk in the City renting a home in the London suburb of Holloway, encapsulates Victorian respectability, snobbery, and pretensions. Pooter nearly invariably gets the short end of the stick in his interactions with his two neighbors, Cummings and Gowings; his spendthrift, reckless son Lupin; and the various tradesmen and servants he attempts to bully.

Slavishly devoted to his employer, Mr. Perkupp, Pooter tries without much luck to cut his son into the same mold. Instead, Lupin slacks at work and spends his nights engaged in amateur theatrics or carousing with his chums till all hours. What's a father to do? First serialized in Punch in 1888 and 1889, The Diary of a Nobody was published in book form in 1892 and hasn't been out of print since. If you give this slim volume a chance (available for free in the Kindle format), you'll see why. Despite being a century old, The Diary of a Nobody remains quite amusing and is laugh-out-loud funny in parts -- particularly in sections dealing with tradesmen or with Lupin's impetuous business dealings or love affairs. As long as there are self-satisfied petit bourgeois snobs, The Diary of a Nobody will continue to entertain. ...more Shelves: overrated Overrated "diary" of a middle-aged middle-class angst-ridden Victorian middle-manager, dealing with inconsequential daily irritations in a dry (but not especially funny) way.

He also likes the odd, very bad, self-conscious pun - unfortunately I don’t. I generally think that one measure of great art (and I count literature as art) is that you get something different from it each time. Books like this challenge that view: I remember enjoying it in my late teens or early 20s, but a decade or two lat Overrated "diary" of a middle-aged middle-class angst-ridden Victorian middle-manager, dealing with inconsequential daily irritations in a dry (but not especially funny) way. He also likes the odd, very bad, self-conscious pun - unfortunately I don’t. I generally think that one measure of great art (and I count literature as art) is that you get something different from it each time. Books like this challenge that view: I remember enjoying it in my late teens or early 20s, but a decade or two later, it was very different. I'm pretty sure that doesn't make it great, though!

...more Shelves: british-literature , humor , victorian-fiction , gilbert-and-sullivan , authors-gh I'd had this for a while and thought it would make good paired reading with Three Men on a Boat , as they're both considered classics of British humor of about the same era. George Grossmith is perhaps best known as a long-time star of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, performing the comic baritone roles (Ko-Ko, Major-General Stanley, Sir Joseph Porter) in Gilbert and Sullivan's operas; his brother Weedon was largely an artist. Their hero, Charles Pooter, is an ordinary middle-class clerk in London I'd had this for a while and thought it would make good paired reading with Three Men on a Boat , as they're both considered classics of British humor of about the same era. George Grossmith is perhaps best known as a long-time star of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, performing the comic baritone roles (Ko-Ko, Major-General Stanley, Sir Joseph Porter) in Gilbert and Sullivan's operas; his brother Weedon was largely an artist.

Their hero, Charles Pooter, is an ordinary middle-class clerk in London, who decides to keep and publish a diary, on the grounds that "I have often seen reminiscences of people I have never even heard of, and I fail to see -- because I do not happen to be a 'Somebody' -- why my diary should not be interesting." It is interesting, as a very funny, sometimes almost painful depiction of his small, suburban lifestyle, and although it's impossible not to laugh at Pooter, it's also impossible not to like him. ...more Mar 11, 2013 Willis rated it liked it Interesting read. It's not exciting or dazzling. It is "Seinfeld" in Victorian times. It is about nothing: just a man keeping a diary of his days. He and his wife live very ordinary, middle-class lives. He works for a financial firm. She keeps house. They live simply. Appearances are important to them, not only for his work but for their standing in the community. Their adult son moves back in with them (common in today's world), and his lifestyle, speech, and attitude is very different from his Interesting read. It's not exciting or dazzling.

It is "Seinfeld" in Victorian times. It is about nothing: just a man keeping a diary of his days. He and his wife live very ordinary, middle-class lives. He works for a financial firm. She keeps house. They live simply. Appearances are important to them, not only for his work but for their standing in the community. Their adult son moves back in with them (common in today's world), and his lifestyle, speech, and attitude is very different from his parents (also very common). They have friends who pop in for visits without notice. They resent their friends' lack of manners, but still keep almost constant company with them. It is a big deal when they get invited to social events because it happens so infrequently. Everyone's feelings get hurt over minor jokes and misunderstandings, but they end up getting over the hurt and remain friends. Replace the Victorian settings with today's, and this could be my life or yours. This book celebrates the mundane rather than the extraordinary. It made me think about the parts of my life that are much as the Pooters' lives.

Much easier and more pleasant to read than something by Dickens, and leaves out the mundane descriptions with which most writers of the Victorian age felt compelled to saturate their writing. ...more Feb 11, 2015 Edward Higgins rated it it was amazing I really like Pooter’s terrible jokes. I know I’m not supposed to, but shit puns make me happy… ‘The Diary of a Nobody’ goes nowhere and does nothing - but it is still an utterly compelling read. It is from the novel’s central character that we derive the term ‘Pooterism’ (Noun: to take oneself grotesquely seriously.) But this is unfair. Charles Pooter is constantly throwing out gags and half-arsed one-liners to people. It’s just unfortunate that only he (and occasionally his wife, Carrie) is bri I really like Pooter’s terrible jokes. I know I’m not supposed to, but shit puns make me happy… ‘The Diary of a Nobody’ goes nowhere and does nothing - but it is still an utterly compelling read. It is from the novel’s central character that we derive the term ‘Pooterism’ (Noun: to take oneself grotesquely seriously.) But this is unfair.

Charles Pooter is constantly throwing out gags and half-arsed one-liners to people. It’s just unfortunate that only he (and occasionally his wife, Carrie) is bright enough to understand them… Victorian society apparently looked quite darkly on terrible puns.* *Apart from when Dickens did them, obviously… ...more Dec 06, 2010 Joselito Honestly and Brilliantly rated it it was ok Funny enough to keep me reading it to the end, but not funny enough to make me do anything else except to occasionally smile to myself. Originally published on instalments in a magazine from May, 1888 to May 1889 this is the diary of the fictional Charles Pooter who justified keeping and publishing it in an Introductions where he said: "Why should I not publish my diary? I have often seen reminiscences of people I have never even heard of, and I fail to see--because I do not happen to be a 'Somebo Funny enough to keep me reading it to the end, but not funny enough to make me do anything else except to occasionally smile to myself.

Originally published on instalments in a magazine from May, 1888 to May 1889 this is the diary of the fictional Charles Pooter who justified keeping and publishing it in an Introductions where he said: "Why should I not publish my diary? I have often seen reminiscences of people I have never even heard of, and I fail to see--because I do not happen to be a 'Somebody'--why my diary should not be interesting. My only regret is that I did not commence it when I was a youth." The humor here is situational, slapstick and word plays. Its British flavor is strong, often Greek to me as I am more partial to Asian or Latin American humorists. Better than "Lucky Jim" (Martin Amis) and "Under the Net" (Iris Murdoch) but definitely inferior to "Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon" (Jorge Amado) and even to a fellow British "Thank You, Jeeves" (P.G. Wodehouse). I don't care if this book is a British cultural icon. I like what I like!

...more Shelves: classic , humor , literature , memories , 1001-book , 19th-century 803. Diary of A Nobody, George & Weedon Grossmith عنوان: خاطرات یک آدم ناقابل؛ نویسنده: جورج گروسمیت؛ ویدون گروسمیت: مترجم: شهلا طهماسبی؛ تهران، نشرنو، 1394؛ در 197 ص؛ شابک: 9786007439388؛ English comic novel written by the brothers George and Weedon Grossmith, with illustrations by the latter. The Diary records the daily events in the lives of a London clerk, Charles Pooter, his wife Carrie, his son Lupin, and numerous friends and acquaintances over a period of 15 months. Apr 13, 2012 Jade Heslin rated it really liked it This book had me in stitches. Mixing the hilarity of puns (the BEST form of comedy) with the humorously uneventful diary entries of a Victorian Gentleman makes for terrific reading.

Mr. Pooter is undoubtedly one of the best comic characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. His failed attempts at witticisms filled me with joy, for at least I found him funny, if no one else did. How can you not love this man?: “He said he wouldn’t stay, as he didn’t care much for the smell of the paint This book had me in stitches. Mixing the hilarity of puns (the BEST form of comedy) with the humorously uneventful diary entries of a Victorian Gentleman makes for terrific reading. Mr. Pooter is undoubtedly one of the best comic characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. His failed attempts at witticisms filled me with joy, for at least I found him funny, if no one else did. How can you not love this man?: “He said he wouldn’t stay, as he didn’t care much for the smell of the paint, and fell over the scraper as he went out. Must get the scraper removed, or else I shall get into a scrape.

I don’t often make jokes.” “You’re not going to complain of the smell of paint again?” He said: “No, not this time; but I’ll tell you what, I distinctly smell dry rot.” I don’t often make jokes, but I replied: “You’re talking a lot of dry rot yourself.” I could not help roaring at this, and Carrie said her sides quite ached with laughter. I never was so immensely tickled by anything I have ever said before. I actually woke up twice during the night, and laughed till the bed shook.” Carrie brought down some of my shirts and advised me to take them to Trillip’s round the corner. She said: “The fronts and cuffs are much frayed.” I said without a moment’s hesitation: “I’m ’frayed they are.” Lor! how we roared. I thought we should never stop laughing. As I happened to be sitting next the driver going to town on the ’bus, I told him my joke about the “frayed” shirts. I thought he would have rolled off his seat. They laughed at the office a good bit too over it. Mr Pooter = You LEGEND.

I only gave this 4 stars because the story was lacking, but I guess that’s what you should expect from a book entitled “Diary of a Nobody”. Shelves: ms-readathon-2005 Well I have to say this book didn’t quite live up to Evelyn Waugh’s testimonial on the back cover: “The funniest book in the world”. Mind you, Waugh did write Brideshead Revisited, so he wasn’t exactly a laugh-a-minute kind of guy. Maybe he had lower standards when it came to humour than the rest of us. In fact, were Waugh still about today, I’d write him a terse but witty note and ask him to refund my purchase money. Not that it was a terrible book or anything, it was well-written, and somewhat Well I have to say this book didn’t quite live up to Evelyn Waugh’s testimonial on the back cover: “The funniest book in the world”. Mind you, Waugh did write Brideshead Revisited, so he wasn’t exactly a laugh-a-minute kind of guy. Maybe he had lower standards when it came to humour than the rest of us.

In fact, were Waugh still about today, I’d write him a terse but witty note and ask him to refund my purchase money. Not that it was a terrible book or anything, it was well-written, and somewhat amusing, but in a Mr Bean kind of way, or like the boss in “The Office”, in which the humour comes from people being made to look foolish – only in a much milder form. The hero of the book, Mr Charles Pooter, is an ordinary and unassuming man and a well-drawn character, just not a particularly interesting one. He writes in the introduction as follows: I fail to see – because I do not happen to be a “Somebody” – why my diary should not be interesting. This book proves that interesting diary entries are entirely independent of the status of the diarist, fictional or not. The book was originally published in Punch magazine, in serial form, and might have worked better this way – familiar friends, who’s modest adventures you could enjoy each week; not required to be astonishing or confounding. Interesting aside: both of the authors worked with Gilbert and Sullivan, of “The Pirates of Penzance” fame. There are no babies swapped at birth in this story though.

One good thing, Pooter’s son is called Lupin, possibly a good name for a future son of mine, if my husband will stand for it – it might end up being the name for the cat. READ ME READ ME READ ME May 16 I'm floored - positively flabbergasted - that I've never heard of this book until now. It took my looking for something to read from my list of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.This is the hysterically funny account of Mr. Pooter, a typical, suburban, middle-class Englishman written in the late 1800s. And yet, it rarely read like a "classic" - it felt contemporary. May 17 It reminded me a lot of a movie called The Money Pit with Tom Hanks in the beginning as READ ME READ ME READ ME May 16 I'm floored - positively flabbergasted - that I've never heard of this book until now. It took my looking for something to read from my list of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.This is the hysterically funny account of Mr.

Pooter, a typical, suburban, middle-class Englishman written in the late 1800s. And yet, it rarely read like a "classic" - it felt contemporary. May 17 It reminded me a lot of a movie called The Money Pit with Tom Hanks in the beginning as Mr. Pooter shared his experiences and pitfalls with common home improvement projects. And, all throughout the book, I envisioned the narrator's voice as that of a stuffy, English person - making it that much more enjoyable. All throughout the book, Pooter attempts to be funny making puns, and while they are occasionally cute, the best part is Pooter's reaction to these puns, laughing outrageously at himself and thinking himself so clever. He's a riot! It's a fairly quick read, and it's not heavy at all. Just the normal everyday life of a normal everyday man trying to get a leg up in this world. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a recommendation for one of the books on THE LIST.

...more Shelves: regno-unito , 1001 When I was 12 years old our teacher of ESL registered us with a pen-pal service and we were randomly assigned the address of a kid more or less our age from another part of the world. My friend was a girl from Portugal, Ana Isabel, and she sent me this booklet as a present. I put it in my library, not ready yet to read a whole book in English, and I left it there ever since. I don't know exactly why, it simply didn't appeal to me. Well, I regret I waited so much. Mr Pooter family and friends are When I was 12 years old our teacher of ESL registered us with a pen-pal service and we were randomly assigned the address of a kid more or less our age from another part of the world. My friend was a girl from Portugal, Ana Isabel, and she sent me this booklet as a present. I put it in my library, not ready yet to read a whole book in English, and I left it there ever since. I don't know exactly why, it simply didn't appeal to me. Well, I regret I waited so much.

Mr Pooter family and friends are a pantomime of Victorian society and its rules. The book itself is a divertissement, mocking the fashion of publishing personal diaries. And it works, although it's a 200 pages of nothingness. A funny nothingness, an excellent nothingness for a weekend of light reading. ...more Jul 26, 2011 Tenzin rated it it was amazing The Diary of a Nobody is so self-effacing, unobtrusive and natural a piece of work, that missing it completely could be forgiven, well almost. It is a thoroughly obscure piece of writing armed with a unique format that provides for riveting comedy instinctive to the writer, which cannot but make this seem like a very peculiar achievement, a masterpiece nonetheless, albeit a seemingly accidental masterpiece. This idiosyncratic achievement that went horridly right is the diary of a Charles Pooter, The Diary of a Nobody is so self-effacing, unobtrusive and natural a piece of work, that missing it completely could be forgiven, well almost.

It is a thoroughly obscure piece of writing armed with a unique format that provides for riveting comedy instinctive to the writer, which cannot but make this seem like a very peculiar achievement, a masterpiece nonetheless, albeit a seemingly accidental masterpiece. This idiosyncratic achievement that went horridly right is the diary of a Charles Pooter, a nobody to himself and others, who asserts his right to record events despite of it (I'm afraid the 'in spite' is reserved only for the Grossmiths). I explored his I had teas and Sent my dress-coats with rapt attention, experiencing it, not mocking it. This social failure, patriarch failure is so comic in his manners, in his daily existence without any intention to be so that all I did was laugh as is human, and sorrowfully identify with him, as is also human. I guffawed at Pooter's self-important absurdity, along with his friends and cad of a son, Lupin, but in a manner suggesting that Pooter and his unconscious gaffes are refreshing and even lovable.

Deviating from much of British writing that is tainted with snobbery, the writers do not patronise this hapless clerk, there is no hint of facile aspirations as there is no invitation to laugh at social gaffes, the response elicited is very much dependent on the reader, more that anything else. After reading through Waughs and Kiplings and 1970 working-class lit., this lack of snobbery and reverse snobbery is refreshing, it's earnestness, or lack of it, shining through. The book itself is pleasant and undemanding. Pooter's errors are manifestations of our own, his idiosyncracies relatable and his profound anguish on being though of as a complete and utter dunce - mirror-like!, confirming that we are all nobodys (bringing to trial if there is indeed a somebody) thus, makes this book an ironical self-indulgence. ...more Shelves: humor I downloaded this to my Kindle kinda,sorta by accident, and when I started reading it I was pleasantly surprised at how well a contemporary author caught the colloquialisms, manner and speech of 1800's England ...

then I felt like a bit of a fool when I found out it had been,in fact, written in the 1800's. My bad. That said (as the red begins to fade from my blush), this was a great book.. about relatively nothing ... by a supercilious ass ... with no great protagonist ... no overriding plot ... l I downloaded this to my Kindle kinda,sorta by accident, and when I started reading it I was pleasantly surprised at how well a contemporary author caught the colloquialisms, manner and speech of 1800's England ... then I felt like a bit of a fool when I found out it had been,in fact, written in the 1800's. My bad. That said (as the red begins to fade from my blush), this was a great book.. about relatively nothing ... by a supercilious ass ... with no great protagonist ... no overriding plot ... lackluster dialogue ... And it was awesome! Pooter was such a self-important man, mocked by those younger than him, thinking himself as so charming, so funny, while oblivious to what a buffoon some thought him to be... and somehow, others respected him for the exact same qualities.

Highly recommended as a great book to read about nothing and nobody. So get yourself some Pooter. Sep 26, 2016 Lostaccount rated it it was amazing · review of another edition Probably should have been titled The Diary Of A Dimwit. Poor old Mr. Pooter is a bit of a sap. Walked all over by Lupin, and as for Gowing and Cummings ... The book was funny, not laugh out loud funny but humorous and weirdly compelling even when nothing much was happening, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Written in Victorian language, where men make ejaculations innocently "... ejaculated: [over] Caroline" and skylarking means snogging. Recommended for readers who wish we still lived i Probably should have been titled The Diary Of A Dimwit. Poor old Mr. Pooter is a bit of a sap. Walked all over by Lupin, and as for Gowing and Cummings ... The book was funny, not laugh out loud funny but humorous and weirdly compelling even when nothing much was happening, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Written in Victorian language, where men make ejaculations innocently "...

ejaculated: [over] Caroline" and skylarking means snogging. Recommended for readers who wish we still lived in simpler times. ...more Sep 14, 2016 Anamarija rated it liked it · review of another edition For such a famously funny book its sure helped my insomnia. I loved the title and the cover with the bath, so I really wanted to like it. It didn't work, so sad marchie. Nov 14, 2013 Rupert Smith rated it it was amazing Comic novels feature prominently in my life, on the basis that there’s enough pain and misery in life without having to read about it all the time. Whenever someone offers me the latest heart-rending, soul-shattering tale of loss and grief I usually say ‘thank you very much’ and reach for something like The Diary of a Nobody. It’s one of those books that just gets funnier the more you read it, and things that seemed pointless or banal at first glance become hysterical. Originally published in se Comic novels feature prominently in my life, on the basis that there’s enough pain and misery in life without having to read about it all the time.

Whenever someone offers me the latest heart-rending, soul-shattering tale of loss and grief I usually say ‘thank you very much’ and reach for something like The Diary of a Nobody. It’s one of those books that just gets funnier the more you read it, and things that seemed pointless or banal at first glance become hysterical. Originally published in serial form in Punch, the diary recounts the very boring life of Mr Charles Pooter, who commutes from his home in Upper Holloway to his desk job in the City, works, comes home and has dinner. That’s basically it. But the quality of his life – his petty annoyances, his social ambitions, his relationship with wife Carrie and son Lupin – is what this is all about. Everyday trivia like Pooter’s disastrous attempts at DIY, his dealings with tradesmen etc, are recounted in minute, compelling detail. It’s probably not everyone’s cup of tea, but once you click with The Diary of a Nobody there is no going back.

...more Dec 17, 2015 Rajat TWIT rated it liked it The diary of a nobody is a reflection of any middle-aged, family loving, diligent and an ordinary middle class citizen who searches for the satisfaction in an unsatisfactory life. He doesn't complain, and rarely does share his disappointment with anyone else. More than the disappointment, it is the daily, irregular and amusing little embarrassments which happen to everyone, that are rarely shared. So a diary, where the daily accounts of such a person is shared, becomes a valuable possession. Bec The diary of a nobody is a reflection of any middle-aged, family loving, diligent and an ordinary middle class citizen who searches for the satisfaction in an unsatisfactory life. He doesn't complain, and rarely does share his disappointment with anyone else. More than the disappointment, it is the daily, irregular and amusing little embarrassments which happen to everyone, that are rarely shared. So a diary, where the daily accounts of such a person is shared, becomes a valuable possession. Because the word of such person shares the daily struggle, fears, happiness and humiliation with emotions. This book is considered a classic because of its simplicity and ordinary humor.

Though the readers need to have some taste in Victorian lifestyle to enjoy this collection of fictional diary entries. In current times, this diary is a refreshing piece of fiction which oozes the originality of its time and presentation of fiction. ...more May 25, 2013 Jonathan Goddard rated it really liked it I loved this book right from the opening lines: 'Why should I not publish my diary? I have often seen reminiscences of people I have never even heard of, and I fail to see - because I do not happen to be a 'Somebody' - why my diary should not be interesting.' Charles Pooter's narrative remains extremely witty throughout, and provided me with many very good laughs. I liked all the main family: our narrator Charlie, middle-aged, suburban dwelling, white-collar worker whose greatest dream is to have I loved this book right from the opening lines: 'Why should I not publish my diary? I have often seen reminiscences of people I have never even heard of, and I fail to see - because I do not happen to be a 'Somebody' - why my diary should not be interesting.' Charles Pooter's narrative remains extremely witty throughout, and provided me with many very good laughs.

I liked all the main family: our narrator Charlie, middle-aged, suburban dwelling, white-collar worker whose greatest dream is to have his son work at the same firm as him, and who suffers a great many mundane struggles and minor humiliations almost every day of his life, his wife Carrie, and their radical son Lupin. A satire on the contemporary fashion of publishing diaries and autobiographies, Diary of a Nobody is an excellent novel, and one of the most entertaining books I have ever read. I read it all through in a matter of hours, because I could not bear to part with it. ...more Grossmith: Diary of a Nobody: George Grossmith, Weedon Grossmith: 9781451506990: Amazon.com: Books Editorial Reviews About the Author George Grossmith (1847-1912) was an English comedian, writer, composer, actor, and singer. His performing career spanned more than four decades. As a writer and composer, he created 18 comic operas, nearly 100 musical sketches, some 600 songs and piano pieces, three books and both serious and comic pieces for newspapers and magazines.

Grossmith is best remembered for two aspects of his career. First, he created a series of nine memorable characters in the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan from 1877 to 1889, including Sir Joseph Porter, in H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), the Major-General in The Pirates of Penzance (1880) and Ko-Ko in The Mikado (1885-87). Second, he wrote, in collaboration with his brother Weedon, the 1892 comic novel Diary of a Nobody. Grossmith was also famous in his day for performing his own comic piano sketches and songs, both before and after his Gilbert and Sullivan days, becoming the most popular British solo performer of the 1890s. Some of his comic songs endure today, including "See Me Dance the Polka". He continued to perform into the first decade of the 20th century. His son, George Grossmith, Jr., became a famous actor, playwright and producer of Edwardian musical comedies.

The Diary of a Nobody: George Grossmith: 9781519443458: Amazon.com: Books The Diary of a Nobody Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Next Special Offers and Product Promotions Editorial Reviews About the Author George Grossmith (1847 –1912) was an English comedian, writer, composer, actor, and singer. His performing career spanned more than four decades. As a writer and composer, he created 18 comic operas, nearly 100 musical sketches, some 600 songs and piano pieces, three books and both serious and comic pieces for newspapers and magazines. Grossmith is best remembered for two aspects of his career. First, he created a series of nine memorable characters in the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan from 1877 to 1889, including Sir Joseph Porter, in H.M.S.

Pinafore (1878), the Major-General in The Pirates of Penzance and Ko-Ko in The Mikado. Second, he wrote, in collaboration with his brother Weedon, the 1892 comic novel Diary of a Nobody. Grossmith was also famous in his day for performing his own comic piano sketches and songs, both before and after his Gilbert and Sullivan days, becoming the most popular British solo performer of the 1890s. Some of his comic songs endure today, including "See Me Dance the Polka". He continued to perform into the first decade of the 20th century. His son, George Grossmith, Jr., became a famous actor, playwright and producer of Edwardian musical comedies. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition. Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here , or download a FREE Kindle Reading App . Ignite your imagination with these editor's picks from Kindle books.

See more Product Details Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 22, 2015) Language: English Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces ( View shipping rates and policies ) Average Customer Review: Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,614,699 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) Customer Reviews By Frogwhistle on May 29, 2015 Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase Let me first emphasize that the one star rating here has nothing to do with the literary merits of the work, and has only to do with the physical book itself. To be specific, the paperback version with the cover design featuring an invisible man in a bowler hat, ISBN #9781495385063. The copyright for "The Diary of a Nobody" has lapsed and the work has entered the public domain, meaning anyone can now knock out a cheap reprint and sell it, which apparently someone at CreateSpace self-publishing ("An Amazon Company") has done. Why anyone would reproduce an illustrated work without the illustrations is beyond me; I can only surmise that they remain under separate copyright, and would have required a royalty payment of some sort.

As it is, the "publisher" of this book seems to have paid for little more than paper and ink. My advice to any prospective book buyer is that there is little reason to buy this particular volume. If you love books, you'd be much better served finding a second-hand copy of the original illustrated edition, while if you merely wish to read just the text it would be very little trouble to find it at any of the online repositories of public domain writing. By C. Ebeling on December 28, 2011 Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase Mr. Charles Pooter, a middle-class, middle-aged suburban Londoner in the late Victorian Era, decides to keep a diary. After all, it seems like everyone is publishing their diaries, so why shouldn't he? His only regret is that he had not begun the diary sooner. When part of the way through this hilarious story related through his daily entries it seems that someone ripped out several pages to use for fire kindling, he says to his loyal wife and impudent son that he had hoped the diary would be a fond remembrance of him after he died and possibly that having it published could bring them some remuneration. His loved ones cannot suppress their laughter.

The biggest joke is that in fact, this diary of a dedicated clerk in an old-fashioned accounting firm, who has done little else in his life and is quite comfortable with the status quo, is eternally priceless on for its comedy and what it reveals about the Victorian middle-class life and preoccupations that it satirizes. If Mr. Pooter and his friends represent a culture that has grown complacent and overly interested in its own hobby horses and etiquette, his adult son Lupin is the brash younger generation that seeks entertainment and gratification without apology, shaking off musty traditions. The Grossmith brothers--George largely wrote this and Weedon illustrated it as a magazine serial--had no idea that they were creating a historical document as much as a giddy entertainment. The comedy is absolutely winning. The Grossmiths don't sell Mr. Pooter down the river entirely--they allow him competence at work, some self awareness and wounded dignity--but every diary entry usually sets up his hopes and schemes only to be reported as dashed in the next. Long before Rodney Dangerfield complained that he didn't get respect, Mr.

Pooter had every right to cry that out as younger clerks, the neighbors, his son, his son's friends and the servants feel free to regularly contradict and insult him. There is plenty of physical comedy and fashion gone bad. And there is that voice of Mr. Pooter, at once plaintive, hopeful, clueless, sweet but not stupid, who always picks himself up after a fall. By Alexander Gaya on January 13, 2014 Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase If you, like myself, are a neo-Victorian, you will "laugh till the bed shakes", as the hero of this 'diary' (and yes, 'hero' is the right word) himself does at his own punny jokes. Ten pages in and half as many persons have tripped over the mud scraperâ¦an unmanageable young son with 'forward' slangâ¦squabbles with servants, old friends and unpleasant new acquaintancesâ¦trouble at workâ¦social embarrassmentsâ¦everything a lover of Dickens could ask for and more.

Even if you don't live and breathe top hats (Posh three-shilling hats, rather), you will probably get a kick or two out of this, especially if you erupt in mirthquakes whilst paging through it in a public library or at the doctor's office. The edition by Wordsworth Classics, besides being a steal at the price, is splendid in every respect. The footnotes are somewhat overattentive for me, but will serve most readers very well; it is far better to have a footnote too many than a footnote too few. The introduction by Professor Michael Irwin (University of Kent at Canterbury) is *excellent* (and should be read, like most introductions, after completion of the main contents). I heartily endorse the sentiments expressed on the back cover: "If you don't recognize yourself as some point in 'The Diary' you are probably less than human.

If you can read it without laughing aloud you have no sense of humour." George & Weedon Grossmith - Diary Of A Nobody eBook by George Grossmith, Weedon Grossmith - 9781780007151 | Kobo Show more Show less The Diary of a Nobody is a nineteenth-century comic novel co-written by the two English brothers George and Weedon Grossmith. The volume also includes illustrations by the latter author. Being first published in the magazine Punch before taking the present form, The Diary of a Nobody is considered today as a brilliant humor classic of the English tongue. The narrative purports to be the personal records of Mr. Charles Pooter, a middle-aged man with social and professional aspirations who lives in the suburbs of Upper Holloway. The most comic moments of the story often describe Pooters interaction with the other characters in the novel, mainly his spiritualist wife Carrie, his naughty son Lupin as well as his ever-mocking friends and the people in the neighborhood with whom he often engages in hilarious discussions. Despite the hardships that he has to go through along with the miserable conditions in the neighborhood, Pooter manages to maintain his good temper and his sense of humor.

The book generally provides English readers with a very familiar painting of suburban life and the customs and manners of the middle-class. Buy the eBook READ BOOK "The Diary of a Nobody by George & Weedon Grossmith" buy audio store doc without registering ios txt page : JessicaLeeKeller READ BOOK "The Diary of a Nobody by George & Weedon Grossmith" buy audio store doc without registering ios txt page This is an archived post. You won't be able to vote or comment. 0 1 2 [–] [deleted] 0 points1 point2 points 11 months ago . Description book The Diary of a Nobody by George & Weedon Grossmith: Weedon Grossmith's 1892 book presents the details of English suburban life through the anxious and accident-prone character of Charles Porter. Porter's diary chronicles his daily routine, which inc... . . . the diary of a nobody by george & weedon grossmith udt/seal PROGRAMMES/EPHEMERA Christopher Browne's Gilbert and Free Audio Books. Authors G-M Free Audiobooks.

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Question: Complete the title of this famous novel by George and Weedon Grossmith,'Diary Of A ...'?
Answer: '... NOBODY'