Sunday, March 26, 2006

Diary of a nobody

A post from Clive Davis reminds me of a forgotten favorite novel.

The Diary of a Nobody is a real gem, which gets you chortling at every turn. I was introduced to it by two mates of Nick's, whilst on our way to Pamplona for the running of the bulls. These two had the distinction of having studied at the cheapest public school in england, and regularly refered to Mr Pooter in their conversation.My curiosity was tweeked, and I read the book upon my return. Some Quotes from Amazon: -

this is the story of Mr Pooter, an office clerk and upright family man in a dull 1880s suburb. His diary is a wonderful portrait of the class system and inherent snobbishness of the suburban middle classes

This delightful Victorian comic diary is a classic of "English Humour" which has never been out of print since its first publication in 1892.


City clerk Charles Pooter asks: 'Why should I not publish my diary...because I do not happen to be a "somebody"?' He proceeds to catalogue all the social clangers he makes unwittingly as he bumbles his way through life, yet a sympathy develops for Pooter in the face of it all

Mr Charles Pooter is a well-meaning city clerk and one of a growing number of upwardly mobile, lower middle-class suburbanites set on improving their social standing. Aspiring to posterity, he embarks on a diary in which he is actively drawn into petty confrontations, including run-ins with idle tradesmen, insolent office juniors and abusive neighbours; while simultaneously dealing with his wife's heedless indulgence in flights of fashion and the reckless antics of his vagabond son Lupin


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