Accustomed as I Am: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Speaker (Prion Humour Classics) [Hardcover]

Basil Boothroyd (Author)

Book Description

Series: Prion Humour Classics | Publication Date: July 1, 2001

Drawing on his own grim and terrifying experiences as a public speaker, Basil Boothroyd takes us on a comic journey through an era when the likes of the Women’s Institute and the Rotary Club were still the social hubs of the nation and required a steady stream of guest speakers to keep their members entertained. Addressing everyone from corporate clients at black-tie shindigs to the inmates of Pentonville Prison, he was asked to expound on a dizzying range of topics. While masquerading this as a how-to book, Boothroyd willfully loses us in a confusion of slapstick asides and self-effacing comic digressions as he unsuccessfully attempts to navigate the pitfalls of a thankless profession. An engagingly sordid tale of dingy hotels, bad transportation, self-doubts, hecklers, drunks, technical snafus, misjudged audiences, and woefully unsuitable material.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"the finest comic writer we have" PG Wodehouse "a man of unusual talent... a wonderful eye for the revealing comic detail... his writing had at times a Faberge glitter." RGG Price

From the Publisher

Drawing on his own grim and terrifying experiences as a public speaker, Basil Boothroyd takes us on a comic journey through an era when the likes of the Women’s Institute and the Rotary Club were still the social hubs of the nation and required a steady stream of guest speakers to keep their members entertained. Addressing everyone from corporate clients at black–tie shindigs to the inmates of Pentonville Prison, he was asked to expound on a dizzying range of topics. While masquerading this as a how–to book, Boothroyd willfully loses us in a confusion of slapstick asides and self–effacing comic digressions as he unsuccessfully attempts to navigate the pitfalls of a thankless profession. An engagingly sordid tale of dingy hotels, bad transportation, self–doubts, hecklers, drunks, technical snafus, misjudged audiences, and woefully unsuitable material.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 138 pages
• Publisher: Prion (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1853754544
• ISBN-13: 978-1853754548
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,490,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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