The Diary of a Nobody (Penguin Classics)
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Product Description
Product Description
THE DIARY OF A NOBODY began as a serial in Punch and the book which followed in 1892 has never been out of print. The Grossmith brothers not only created an immortal comic character but produced a clever satire of their society. Mr Pooter is an office clerk and upright family man in a dull 1880s suburb. His diary is a wonderful portrait of the class system and the inherent snobbishness of the suburban middle classes. It sends up contemporary crazes for Aestheticism, spiritualism and bicycling, as well as the fashion for publishing diaries by anybody and everybody.
About the Author
The Grossmith brothers, George (1847-1912) and Weedon (1852-1919), both pursued successful theatrical careers. They are best remembered for their collaboration on THE DIARY OF A NOBODY which was written by both brothers and illustrated by Weedon. Ed Glinert is a journalist and writer. He is currently working on a book on Literary London for the Penguin Press.
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First Sentence
My dear wife Carrie and I have just been a week in our new house, 'The Laurels', Brickfield Terrace, Holloway - a nice six-roomed residence, not counting basement, with a front breakfast-parlour. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
My dear wife Carrie and I have just been a week in our new house, 'The Laurels', Brickfield Terrace, Holloway - a nice six-roomed residence, not counting basement, with a front breakfast-parlour. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Charles Pooter is a successful late Victorian clerk living in a well appointed town house in (then) fashionable Holloway. Charles has delusions of literary grandeur and he believes his diary to be a work of great literary significance. However, the joke is on Mr Pooter as his diary is merely a list of slights and petty grievances.
The book must have been quite subversive when people first read it. After all, wasn't the man meant to be the head of the household in the Victorian scheme of things, his word law? Pooters' diary can be read as merely a long list of things that he fails to control: his wayward son, Lupin. His wife, Carrie (who actually gets some of the best jokes), his domestic staff and his professional life. Pooter stands on his dignity and ends up falling flat on his face.
Pooter has become something of an archetype is British popular culture-you can glimpse him in later comic figures such as Anthony Hancock, Captain Mainwaring and Basil Fawlty. George and Weedon Grossmith have made an enduring fiction out of the stuff of life that still resonates today.
The book must have been quite subversive when people first read it. After all, wasn't the man meant to be the head of the household in the Victorian scheme of things, his word law? Pooters' diary can be read as merely a long list of things that he fails to control: his wayward son, Lupin. His wife, Carrie (who actually gets some of the best jokes), his domestic staff and his professional life. Pooter stands on his dignity and ends up falling flat on his face.
Pooter has become something of an archetype is British popular culture-you can glimpse him in later comic figures such as Anthony Hancock, Captain Mainwaring and Basil Fawlty. George and Weedon Grossmith have made an enduring fiction out of the stuff of life that still resonates today.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Funny l remember buying this book in Lewis's in Manchester in the 70's. It had me howling with laughter on the bus.
It has just been dramatised on TV, and although it was excellent, the book gives you a chance to make your own
visions of the book.
The poor man is so engrossed in himself, there are so many funny elements, but l think the red bath tub, has to
be the funniest.
If l have a criticism it's the Grossmith & Grossmith never wrote anymore. It's in my top 100 books, cant say much
more. It starts as it means to go on funny from page 1. You don't need a slick sense of humour for this,
just be willing to laugh aloud.
It has just been dramatised on TV, and although it was excellent, the book gives you a chance to make your own
visions of the book.
The poor man is so engrossed in himself, there are so many funny elements, but l think the red bath tub, has to
be the funniest.
If l have a criticism it's the Grossmith & Grossmith never wrote anymore. It's in my top 100 books, cant say much
more. It starts as it means to go on funny from page 1. You don't need a slick sense of humour for this,
just be willing to laugh aloud.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I remember reading and liking this novel a few years ago and when I chanced across it in the library decided to give it another go to see if it was as funny as I recalled. I personally found it even more enjoyable this time and have since downloaded it for free to my kindle so I have a permanent copy.
The book is set in late Victorian London and focuses on the affable Charlie Pooter, an ordinary middle aged man who believes himself much funnier than he actually is and feels that the world on some level is conspiring against him which is demonstrated by the mishaps he repeatedly gets himself into. Chronicling his mundane life through his diary, he recaps encounters with friends, family and acquaintances, believing that his journal will perhaps be a literary masterpiece, when in actuality it is more a continual record of people who have slighted him and a long list of his embarrassing gaffes.
If you enjoy subtle British humour and wry characterisations about snobbery and social climbing then this is definitely a book you should try. I loved practically everything about this novel, in particular Charlie's unfunny jokes and puns which he and seemingly everyone around him, found to be utterly hilarious but were more cringey than anything else. I feel for his son Lupin, really I do. In today's society Charlie would undoubtedly be that embarrassing dad who is the first one up jiving at a party or humiliating him with corny stories in front of his mates. He is a really believable individual who you can emphasise with for all his fau paux's and endeavours but one who you would probably try your best to avoid at social gatherings (sorry Mr Pooter).
As far as diaries go, this is most certainly worth a look and it is a novel that has really stood the test of time which proves how witty and well written it actually is. Recommended.
The book is set in late Victorian London and focuses on the affable Charlie Pooter, an ordinary middle aged man who believes himself much funnier than he actually is and feels that the world on some level is conspiring against him which is demonstrated by the mishaps he repeatedly gets himself into. Chronicling his mundane life through his diary, he recaps encounters with friends, family and acquaintances, believing that his journal will perhaps be a literary masterpiece, when in actuality it is more a continual record of people who have slighted him and a long list of his embarrassing gaffes.
If you enjoy subtle British humour and wry characterisations about snobbery and social climbing then this is definitely a book you should try. I loved practically everything about this novel, in particular Charlie's unfunny jokes and puns which he and seemingly everyone around him, found to be utterly hilarious but were more cringey than anything else. I feel for his son Lupin, really I do. In today's society Charlie would undoubtedly be that embarrassing dad who is the first one up jiving at a party or humiliating him with corny stories in front of his mates. He is a really believable individual who you can emphasise with for all his fau paux's and endeavours but one who you would probably try your best to avoid at social gatherings (sorry Mr Pooter).
As far as diaries go, this is most certainly worth a look and it is a novel that has really stood the test of time which proves how witty and well written it actually is. Recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Comic classic
Charles Pooter slips fully-formed into these pages and delights us with his naive observations on his own humdrum domestic life in Victorian England. Read more
Published 29 days ago by David Williams
Oddly modern comic classic
The word 'classic' often fills me with dread but this renowned 'comic novel is actually quite comic. Read more
Published on 27 Feb 2010 by C. Young
pleasant and fresh
In our world of cynical and sometimes unpleasant humour I found reading this book a pleasant and refreshing change. It cheered me up. Job done. Read more
Published on 7 Feb 2010 by Chris Rawlings
Brill Brill Brill
I read this when I was a teenager and bought it for my 17 year old daughter this Xmas... she loves it (too).
I am waiting to borrow it for a re-read. Read more
I am waiting to borrow it for a re-read. Read more
Published on 11 Jan 2010 by Peter Rees
very very funny
The funniest book I have ever read after Jerome Klapke Jerome's 'Three Men in a Boat' I rolled with laughter in every page. Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2009 by echoe
The Diary of a Nobody
Ignore this book at your peril. If you only ever read one book make it this one. An all time classic that I have given many times as gifts. Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2009 by J. A. Sleater
Disappointing
After reading the other reviews, I was somewhat disappointed by this book. Firstly, a ridiculous amount of space is taken up by introductory notes of no interest whatsoever,and by... Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2008 by John Nevill
Well worth the purchase price !
The brothers Grossmith have produced a book about a totally believable and quite `snobbish` middle class individual of his time. Read more
Published on 26 Mar 2000 by "trapper_jon"
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