Our Elizabeth over on Betty's Utility Room - yes, she of the fly-away hair and love of cookery and Conservatives (Sic) - has reminded me, inadvertently or not, of a big influence on my childhood.
Do you remember Nigel Molesworth? Have you ever heard of him? I thought The Eye and I were alone in the universe in hero worshipping Molesworth but I may have been living in ignorance (or just outside it, anyway). Well, he's a few years older than me and by now is a man but he must still be very much after my own heart.
I have nothing else to say on the subject, really. You have to read the musings of Molesworth to understand his genius - as any fule kno.
According to Wikipedia, Molesworth is "big" in some quarters but I know of only one other bloke who has any knowledge of him. Wikipedia has this marvellously pompous and therefore funny description of the boy:
"Nigel is a schoolboy at St Custard's, a fictional (and terrible) prep school located in a carefully unspecified part of England. Nigel's spelling is extremely uneven, a feature found endearing by fans. While in this article all proper nouns have been capitalised, purists might argue that 'Molesworth' should in fact be written as 'molesworth', and 'St Custard's' as 'st custards', as they are in the books. The phrase "as any fule kno"[2] (spelt as such), appended to many of Nigel's pronouncements, has achieved fame beyond its author, and can sometimes be seen in the mainstream British press (usually in a satirical context; the phrase often appears in Private Eye).
The books in the series are, in order of publication:
Down with Skool! A Guide to School Life for Tiny Pupils and their Parents (1953)
How to be Topp: A Guide to Sukcess for Tiny Pupils, Including All There is to Kno about Space (1954)
Whizz for Atomms: A Guide to Survival in the 20th Century for Fellow Pupils, their Doting Maters, Pompous Paters and Any Others who are Interested (1956)
Published in the U.S. as Molesworth's Guide to the Atommic Age
Back in the Jug Agane (1959)
The Compleet Molesworth (1958)
Molesworth (2000 Penguin reprint), ISBN 0-14-118600-3"
Grantham shall definitely NOT have Molesworth.
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4 comments:
I read some of them too. Not as funny as you.
Ene fule kno that Molesworth is on www.stcustards.free-online.co.uk.
On my way to England today. don't think there will be time to drop by to play. Chiz.
Never knew you were a fan, Reg. I used to read some of these as a lad. I did enjoy them, but I wouldn't say they were that much of an influence on me, personally speaking. To put it another way, finding a copy of "Mayfair" in my Dad's bedside table had more of a lasting effect, I'm sure.
How's the new job, then, matey?
BGT
Yep! I'm old enough to kno nigel.
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