Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Chocolate And Cuckoo Clocks The Essential Alan Coren by Alan Coren A connoisseur of naffness. W hen I was really quite young, my parents thought it would be a good idea, for some reason, to pop a paperback of Alan Coren's The Sanity Inspector in my Christmas stocking. Not the first thing you'd think of giving a 13-year-old, perhaps; but it turned out to be an inspired choice, and by New Year's day I thought that Coren was the funniest writer on earth. This was before I read Thurber or Wodehouse or any of the other stylists from whom Coren had obviously learned a thing or two. So I was a little wary when this book turned up; would he still be as funny as I found him all those years ago? I am pleased to report that, despite an introduction by the Coren children so toe-curling that you will have to see a chiropodist after reading it (Victoria's contributions are OK, but Giles's . ), his writing holds up very well. On the whole. It's interesting to chart his development: the Corenesque note is present early, but only makes fitful appearances; it was in the 1970s that he settled into the mode which made his name. (Although, strictly speaking, it was his bestselling spoof diaries of that made his name; a few of those entries are reprinted here, for the historical record. They are unreadable now. Pass them by.) The early pieces here, perhaps over- represented when you consider how he developed, can look like throat-clearing before the main act; and there was something about the 70s that really suited Coren. He was a connoisseur of naffness, and its various manifestations gave his imagination wings. In a letter from a paying guest at a hotel for phobics (apparently there really was one; in, unimprovably, Skegness) his correspondent mentions, in passing, "a former postmaster who sings 'Nola' whenever there's oxtail soup". It would take a long time, and more space than I have at my disposal, to say why that is quite so funny, but you have to salute the man who thought it up. If there are those who believe that Punch, where most of his stuff appeared, and for which he worked and edited for decades, was itself somewhat suburban in its outlook, they might be right; but what's so bad about that? Middle England needs someone to speak for it, too, and Coren was your man. I will probably never have a lawn, but I can still relish his observation that there are two varieties of lawn sprinkler: "The one that fails to spin round, and the one that fails to sweep from left to right and back again." Not that he couldn't poke fun at the magazine himself. Asked if the Milne household was not one of laughter and gaiety, an ageing, decrepit Winne- the-Pooh says that AA Milne "was an assistant editor of Punch. He used to come home like Bela Lugosi. I tell you, if we wanted a laugh, we used to take a stroll round Hampstead cemetery". It was interesting to learn that Coren was actually on the brink of an academic career before he decided to become (his term) a hack. There is a comically strained relation to literature in some of his pieces; as in his various Hemingway parodies ("Pooh did not go up to the Front that winter"; put me off Hemingway for years), his impressive reworking of "The Ancient Mariner", or in his vision of Milton and Pope bickering during a meeting of the Poetry Society ("Mr Pope said my God was he really going to go on like that for twelve bleeding books at public expense?"). Learning lightly worn, then tossed aside. Not all of the pieces work, but as there are 85 of them this doesn't really matter. It is sad to think that, out of nearly half a century of output, this is all posterity will have of him. But should you need some cheering up, or wish to remind yourself that there was a time when you could make jokes about Wincarnis, that Cricklewood inspired TS Eliot to write "The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock", or that Britons have been trying to fiddle their taxes since Roman times, then you could do worse than pick this up. Chocolate and Cuckoo Clocks The Essential Alan Coren. Alan Coren was one of contemporary Britain’s most prolific . Over his forty-year career, Coren wrote comic and satirical pieces for The New Yorker, , Observer, , , Mail on Sunday, and Punch, and published more than twenty books including The Sanity Inspector, Golfing for Cats and The Collected Bulletins of Idi Amin. This anthology draws together the best of Coren’s previously published material as well as never-before-published autobiographical material. In these pages, you will find the queen at a loose end playing I-Spy, QPR fans arguing at the cheese counter, prank phone calls to Mao Tse-Tung, the Roman tax collector Glutinus Sinus dealing with the mud-caked Britons, Gatling guns, an Italian driving school, herons, hearing aids, hosepipe bans, talking parrots . . . Welcome to the wonderful world of the late, great Alan Coren! “Truly funny.” —Stephen Fry, actor, producer, director, and author of The Hippopotamus. Editore: Canongate Books Pubblicato: 2020-01-16 ISBN: 9781847673954. Chocolate and Cuckoo Clocks: The Essential Alan Coren. Edited by his children, Giles and Victoria, Chocolate and Cuckoo Clocks is an anthology of humorous writing from the former editor of Punch and Radio 4 national treasure Alan Coren, who died in October 2007. In a prolific forty-year career Alan Coren wrote for The Times, Observer, Tatler, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Listener, Punch and the New Yorker, and published over 20 books including The Sanity Inspector, Golfing for Cats and The Collected Bulletins of Idi Amin (he turned down an invitation from Amin to visit Uganda . Read More. Edited by his children, Giles and Victoria, Chocolate and Cuckoo Clocks is an anthology of humorous writing from the former editor of Punch and Radio 4 national treasure Alan Coren, who died in October 2007. In a prolific forty-year career Alan Coren wrote for The Times, Observer, Tatler, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Listener, Punch and the New Yorker, and published over 20 books including The Sanity Inspector, Golfing for Cats and The Collected Bulletins of Idi Amin (he turned down an invitation from Amin to visit Uganda saying, 'I'll probably end up as a sandwich'). Even twenty years ago he estimated that he had published six million words, or ten copies of War and Peace. Coren was one of Britain's most prolific and now much-missed humourists, finding the comedy of life all around him and rendering it, hilariously and compellingly, in polished and witty prose which will be eagerly devoured by his loyal fanbase. Read Less. All Copies ( 51 ) Softcover ( 31 ) Hardcover ( 20 ) Choose Edition ( 2 ) Book Details Seller Sort. 2009, Canongate Books. Wilmington, DE, USA. Edition: 2009, Canongate Books Trade paperback, Very Good Available Copies: 6 Details: ISBN: 184767321X ISBN-13: 9781847673213 Pages: 448 Edition: Main edition Publisher: Canongate Books Published: 01/07/2010 Language: English Alibris ID: 16240248559 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: €3,65. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Very Good. This book is in very good condition. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. Ships within 24 hours from US or UK warehouse but NO EXPEDITED ORDERS. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. ► Contact This Seller. 2009, Canongate Books. Halethorpe, MD, USA. Edition: 2009, Canongate Books Trade paperback, Good Details: ISBN: 184767321X ISBN-13: 9781847673213 Pages: 448 Edition: Main edition Publisher: Canongate Books Published: 2009 Language: English Alibris ID: 16662997092 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: €3,65. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. 2009, Canongate Books. Edition: 2009, Canongate Books Trade paperback, Fair Details: ISBN: 184767321X ISBN-13: 9781847673213 Pages: 448 Edition: Main edition Publisher: Canongate Books Published: 2009 Language: English Alibris ID: 16604205538 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: €3,65 Trackable Expedited: €7,30. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Fair. May have some shelf-wear due to normal use. ► Contact This Seller. 2009, Canongate Books. Somerset, NJ, USA. Edition: 2009, Canongate Books Trade paperback, Fair Details: ISBN: 184767321X ISBN-13: 9781847673213 Pages: 448 Edition: Main edition Publisher: Canongate Books Published: 2009 Language: English Alibris ID: 16576986050 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: €3,65 Trackable Expedited: €7,30. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Fair. Minimal Usage and Shelf Wear. Bent Pages. Front or Back Cover is Creased. ► Contact This Seller. 2009, Canongate Books. Columbia, MD, USA. Edition: 2009, Canongate Books Trade paperback, Fine/Like New Available Copies: 3 Details: ISBN: 184767321X ISBN-13: 9781847673213 Pages: 448 Edition: Main edition Publisher: Canongate Books Published: 2009 Language: English Alibris ID: 16482597053 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: €3,65. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 448 p. Contains: Illustrations. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers. ► Contact This Seller. 2009, Canongate Books. Gloucester, GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM. Edition: 2009, Canongate Books Trade paperback, Good Details: ISBN: 184767321X ISBN-13: 9781847673213 Pages: 448 Edition: Main Publisher: Canongate Books Published: 06/04/2009 Language: English Alibris ID: 16255621660 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: €3,65. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. ► Contact This Seller. 2009, Canongate Books. Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM. Edition: 2009, Canongate Books Trade paperback, Good Available Copies: 6 Details: ISBN: 184767321X ISBN-13: 9781847673213 Pages: 448 Edition: Main edition Publisher: Canongate Books Published: 06/04/2009 Language: English Alibris ID: 12529036032 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: €3,65. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: **Simply Brit** Shipped with Premium postal service within 24 hours from the UK with impressive delivery time. We have dispatched from our book depository; items of good condition to over ten million satisfied customers worldwide. We are committed to providing you with reliable and efficient service at all times. ► Contact This Seller. 2009, Canongate Books. , UNITED KINGDOM. Edition: 2009, Canongate Books Trade paperback, Good Available Copies: 4 Details: ISBN: 184767321X ISBN-13: 9781847673213 Pages: 448 Edition: Main edition Publisher: Canongate Books Published: 06/04/2009 Language: English Alibris ID: 10399398831 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: €3,65. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Chocolate and Cuckoo Clocks. The ultimate anthology of the humorous writing of the ‘Sage of Cricklewood’. Edited by his children, Giles and Victoria, Chocolate and Cuckoo Clocks is an anthology of writing from the former editor of Punch and Radio 4 national treasure Alan Coren, who died in October 2007. In a prolific forty-year career Alan Coren wrote for The Times, Observer, Tatler, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Listener, Punch and the New Yorker, and published over 20 books including The Sanity Inspector, Golfing for Cats and The Collected Bulletins of Idi Amin (he turned down an invitation from Amin to visit Uganda saying, ‘I’ll probably end up as a sandwich’). Even twenty years ago he estimated that he had published six million words, or ten copies of War and Peace. This anthology draws together the best of Coren’s previously published material as well as new unpublished autobiographical material. Coren was one of Britain’s most prolific and now much-missed humourists, finding the comedy of life all around him and rendering it, hilariously and compellingly, in polished and witty prose which will be eagerly devoured by his loyal fanbase. “A comic genius.” the Times. See more reviews. “The field is led by Alan Coren.” observer. “Coren is our heavyweight champion , over-powering as well as graceful, able to do everything, sometimes in the same short article.” guardian. Chocolate and Cuckoo Clocks : The Essential Alan Coren. Available. Expected delivery to Germany in 19-24 business days. Description. Edited by his children, Giles and Victoria, Chocolate and Cuckoo Clocks is an anthology of humorous writing from the former editor of Punch and Radio 4 national treasure Alan Coren, who died in October 2007. In a prolific forty-year career Alan Coren wrote for The Times, Observer, Tatler, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Listener, Punch and the New Yorker, and published over 20 books including The Sanity Inspector, Golfing for Cats and The Collected Bulletins of Idi Amin (he turned down an invitation from Amin to visit Uganda saying, 'I'll probably end up as a sandwich'). Even twenty years ago he estimated that he had published six million words, or ten copies of War and Peace. Coren was one of Britain's most prolific and now much-missed humourists, finding the comedy of life all around him and rendering it, hilariously and compellingly, in polished and witty prose which will be eagerly devoured by his loyal fanbase. show more.