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A completely updated trawl through tongue scorching invective from the ancient world to yesterday (almost). As well as being breathtakingly rude so many of the comments are outrageously funny although anyone on the receiving end of such rudeness can only comfort themselves at some of the spectacular errors of judgement in history. How about this journalist’s comment “…a slang-whanging stump-speaker of which all parties are ashamed….” This was about Abraham Lincoln one of an endless parade of public figures to be misjudged. Mathew Parris has done a fine job in rounding up this parade of invective choosing the best of the skewering and the blackest of barbs. ~ Sue Baker
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The Biteback Dictionary of Humorous Political Quotations, Fred Metcalf (Editor) Shakespeare’s Insults Desk Diary 2017 Hardback 96 pages Flame Tree Publishing 23rd August 2016 9781783618767
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Synopsis
Scorn The Wittiest and Wickedest Insults in Human History by Matthew Parris
'Authors are easy to get on with - if you're fond of children.' Michael Joseph, publisher 'May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits' Arab curse 'I married beneath me - all women do.' Nancy Asquith 'Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.' Albert Einstein 'Your blistered crotch!' Insult from the Marquesas Islands There's no pleasure like a perfectly-turned put-down (when it's directed at somebody else, of course) but Matthew Parris's Scorn is sharply different from the standard collections. So here is a selection of the funniest, sharpest, rudest and most devastating insults in history, from ancient Roman graffiti to the battlefields of Twitter. Drawing on bile from such masters as Dorothy Parker, Elizabeth I, Boris Johnson, Groucho Marx, Princess Anne, Winston Churchill, Mae West and Alastair Campbell - which form an exchange between voices down the ages - Scorn shows that abuse can be an art form, and this collection includes extended literary invective as well as short verbal shin-kicks. Encompassing literature, art, politics, showbiz, marriage, gender, nationality and religion, Matthew Parris's sublime collection is the perfect companion for the festive season, whether you're searching for the perfect elegant riposte, the rudest polite letter ever written, or a brutal verbal sledgehammer.
Reviews
'The ideal stocking-filler - miniature in size and big on malevolence' -- Francis Wheen Mail on Sunday
'The clearest pen and the most fastidious sense of quality' -- Alan Clark The Times
'A beautiful collection of insults down the ages. Parris has a feel for language, a sense of history and a wonderful wit' -- Books of the Year Scotland on Sunday
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Book Info
Publication date
10th November 2016Author
Matthew ParrisMore books by Matthew Parris
Author 'Like for Like'
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Publisher
Profile Books LtdFormat
Hardback420 pages
Categories
Humour collections & anthologiesISBN
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