"Mr Pooter is a man of modest ambitions, content with his ordinary life.
Yet he always seems to be troubled by disagreeable tradesmen, impertinent young office clerks and wayward friends, not to mention his devil-may-care son Lupin with his unsuitable choice of bride. In the bumbling, absurd, yet endearing figure of Pooter, the Grossmiths created an immortal comic character and a superb satire on the snobberies of middle-class suburbia - one which also sends up late Victorian crazes for spiritualism and bicycling, as well as the fashion for publishing diaries by anybody and everybody."
"The Diary of a Nobody is an English comic novel written by the brothers George and Weedon Grossmith, with illustrations by the latter. It originated as an intermittent serial in Punch magazine in 1888–89 and first appeared in book form, with extended text and added illustrations, in 1892. The Diary records the daily events in the lives of a London clerk, Charles Pooter, his wife Carrie, his son William Lupin, and numerous friends and acquaintances over a period of 15 months.
Before their collaboration on the Diary, the brothers each pursued successful careers on the stage. George originated nine of the principal comedian roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas over 12 years from 1877 to 1889. He also established a national reputation as a piano sketch entertainer and wrote a large number of songs and comic pieces. Before embarking on his stage career, Weedon had worked as an artist and illustrator. The Diary was the brothers' only mature collaboration. Most of its humor derives from Charles Pooter's unconscious and unwarranted sense of his own importance, and the frequency with which this delusion is punctured by gaffes and minor social humiliations. In an era of rising expectations within the lowermiddle classes, the daily routines and modest ambitions described in the Diary were instantly recognized by its contemporary readers and provided later generations with a glimpse of the past that it became fashionable to imitate
Although its initial public reception was muted, the Diary came to be recognized by critics as a classic work of humor, and it has never been out of print. It helped to establish a genre of humorous popular fiction based on lower or lowermiddleclass aspirations and was the forerunner of numerous fictitious diary novels in the later 20th century. The Diary has been the subject of several stage and screen adaptations, including Ken Russell's 'silent film' treatment of 1964,"
"Dive into the life of a normal man with a normal family in this humorous novel told in diary entries from one Charles Pooter: husband, father, and someone who experiences relatable social embarrassments and humiliations. As he chronicles a year in his life, he discusses his twenty-year-old son's foray into the dating scene, the couple's attempts at blending in with higher society, and his general interactions with friends and co-workers. Originally released as an intermittent serial in Punch, a satirical magazine, The Diary of a Nobody is the literary genius of two brothers who told it like it is."
"'Why should I not publish my diary?' asks Mr. Pooter.
George and Weedon Grossmith were born in London into a theatrical family and it was natural that they should both take up careers on the stage. Weedon initially studied art but later joined his brother George in the theatre. 'The Diary of a Nobody' was a joint effort with Weedon also providing illustrations. It first appeared as a serial in 'Punch' between 1888 and 1889 and was published in book form in 1892. The diary chronicles 15 months of the day-to-day life of Mr. Charles Pooter, a City of London clerk.
The self importance, social aspirations, snobbery and delusions of the diarist are the material for this classic humorous work."
"'Why should I not publish my diary?' asks Mr. Pooter.
George and Weedon Grossmith were born in London into a theatrical family and it was natural that they should both take up careers on the stage. Weedon initially studied art but later joined his brother George in the theatre. 'The Diary of a Nobody' was a joint effort with Weedon also providing illustrations. It first appeared as a serial in 'Punch' between 1888 and 1889 and was published in book form in 1892. The diary chronicles 15 months of the day-to-day life of Mr. Charles Pooter, a City of London clerk.
The self importance, social aspirations, snobbery and delusions of the diarist are the material for this classic humorous work."
"The Diary of a Nobody is the fictitious record of fifteen months in the life of Charles Pooter, his family, friends and small circle of acquaintances. It first appeared, serialised in Punch magazine and might be regarded as the first 'blog'; being a record of the simplicities and humiliations in the life of this mundane, but upright, city clerk, who had an incontestable faith that a record of his daily life was worth preserving for posterity.
Set in about 1891 in Holloway, which was then a typical suburb of the impecuniously respectable kind, the authors contrive a record of the manners, customs and experiences of the late Victorian era. The bare record of facts, simply recorded, manages to be humorous rather than dull, no doubt because of the usual occupations of the authors.
George Grossmith (1847-1912) was an actor and comedian.
Weedon Grossmith (1852-1919) was an entertainer and illustrated the original work.
(Summary by Martin Clifton)"
"George and Weedon Grossmith's The Diary of a Nobody paints a detailed picture of life in 1892. Pooter's diary notes his daily business, parties, embarrassments, and his agitated relationship with son Lupin - a strikingly familiar world, brought to life by Keith Wickham, which provides continual amusement."
"The Diary of a Nobody is the fictitious record of fifteen months in the life of Charles Pooter, his family, friends and small circle of acquaintances. It first appeared, serialised in Punch magazine and might be regarded as the first ‘blog’; being a record of the simplicities and humiliations in the life of this mundane, but upright, city clerk, who had an incontestable faith that a record of his daily life was worth preserving for posterity."
"Says Charles Pooter, "I fail to see-because I do not happen to be a 'somebody'-why my diary should not be interesting." Surprisingly, Mr. Pooter's life is fascinating. The fascination is two-fold: firstly, his astounding arrogance that we should care about his domestic trivia and narcissistic scribblings. Secondly, we can all sympathize with (and wince at!) this ridiculous slave to convention.
Above all, Mr. Pooter's life is funny. His constant battles with tradesmen, his pathetic pride and banal wit, his clashes with his carefree son, his absurd social crises and petty dilemmas: all are part of Mr. Pooter's life as a worried, proud, and anxious Nobody! Listeners are certain to learn why Hilaire Belloc asserted that Pooter was "an immortal achievement.""
"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. The Diary of a Nobody is an ideal text for the talents of Martin Jarvis."
