VictorY.'s Full Review: Jon Winokur - The Portable Curmudgeon
An Unexpected Find
One fine afternoon I was browsing the humor section of a local bookstore and happened upon this little gem. "Curious," I thought. I read the introduction and was hooked. I didn't impulsively buy the book, but who was I kidding? This was going on my shelf.
The Basic Curmudgeon
Compiler and editor Jon Winokur who, according to the "about the author" note, has been in a bad mood since 1963, has collected some of the best quips and witticisms from history's most renowned curmudgeons - George Bernard Shaw, Alfred Hitchcock, H.L. Mencken and Oscar Wilde to name a few. The majority are from the 20th century. The collection is dedicated "To Nobody" and interspersed among the quotations are Winokur's essays about, and interviews with some of the featured savants. To ease the reader into what he is about peruse, Winokur makes certain to distinguish curmudgeons from just the plain grouch in his clever introduction. An excerpt:
A curmudgeon's reputation for malevolence is undeserved... They're just as sensitive and soft-hearted as the next guy, but they hide their vulnerability beneath a crust of misanthropy... Nature, having failed to quip them with a serviceable denial mechanism, has endowed them with astute perception and sly wit... They can't compromise their standards and can't manage the suspension of disbelief necessary for feigned cheerfulness.
On that note, the smart-assedness begins. Quotations are organized by alphabetically by topic. You can find refreshing slants on television, death, friendship, even cynicism(!), and of course the most popular target of quotation books, love.
The World Can be a Better Place
Winokur is careful not to compare a curmudgeon to that other 'c' word, a cynic (or Cynic if you prefer). One gets the impression that his view of the curmudgeon is one of admiration and even affection. They are not just critical of materialism but will not stand for mediocrity in any form. They strive for the betterment of mankind, albeit by a means some may find rude or insensitive. Veteran curmudgeons, on the contrary, are quite sensitive for how else could they be so astute and aware of all society's problems? The painted picture is that of a post-modern reformist, if you will. To be one, you have to strive for self-improvement so your superior posturing can be taken seriously even with all its sarcasm. And unlike a cynic who might just grumble away, a curmudgeon actually wants the world to be better. After all, that would make it a much less annoying place for him to live.
If you've ever found yourself for want of a snappy line in the face of some bothersome nuisance, The Portable Curmudgeon is great source material. Hopefully it will make you wiser, more humorous and more annoying to your friends which is how you may learn who your true friends are. In my younger years, Robert Fulghum's All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten spoke to me and H. Jackson Brown, Jr.'s Life's Little Instruction Book once gave me some uplifting insight, but Winokur's collection has shown me the world as it truly is and has given me my true colors.
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