Thinkin' on your stomach.

The holidays have begun; ah but no, young reader*, that is not the subject of this post. The same is, however, very related to the fact of my being home. Self happened to stumble upon this book by the legendary Art Buchwald, the syndicated columnist known for his scintillating wit and sharp sarcasm; and who also passed away quite recently at the ripe old age of 81. The book titled "Dont forget to Write" is a collection of columns, so to say, that Buchwald wrote while he was in Paris. 

   An out-of-print publication, the book most certainly deserves a post of its own. For starters, it is not often that one goes through a collection of newspaper columns running upto 250 pages and ends up reading it in a day. Amazingly witty, subtly sarcastic and more importantly, refreshingly buoyant throughout, Art takes perfectly measured swipes at the creme-de-la-creme of the 20th century society; right from the wealthy yet stingy aristocrats in Paris who chose to go on an economizing drive during the time of Charles De Gaulle, ending up tearing their clothes, eating lesser meals and breaking their own windows to show they were poor, to the elitist intellectuals of Europe who'd rather speak of unheard musicians and gain attention at the dinner table than speak with sincerity. Of course, not to be left, is a massive dig at the heart of Russian socialism in the 50s where he, most wonderfully, depicts a quiz show on National Television. To cite an example, the prompter to the show, quite frequently, holds up the card "Applaud, Or Else" to the audience whenever the M.C cracks a joke. Also hilarious is the scene where the Chief of Secret Police lands up as a contestant in the show. Also amongst the columns is a ready-made tourist diary for the busy traveller who can't miss shopping.

I could go on forever, but, since brevity, they say, happens to be the soul of something Mr. Buchwald's work possesses aplenty, it would only do justice to the review. Don't miss a chance to read the book if you happen to lay your hands on it; and while you're at it, don't forget to laugh.

 

*One would assume that old, mature men and women, upon whom the burden of the world is thrusted, would have better things to do than peruse this blog.