Pets of the Great Dictators & Other Works [Paperback]

Sabrina P. Ramet (Author), Christine M. Hassenstab (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2006

Dictators' pets are too often ignored - but no longer! They're all here in this hilarious collection of madcap ditties: Lenin's cat, Hitler's dog, Qaddafi's sweet-scented camel, Caligula's horse, Mao's cockroach (he banned real pets), Stalin's spider, Pinochet's mutant turtles, Ivan the Terrible and his terrible goldfish, Tito and his self-managing goat, Gierek the leader and his toad Melsor, and many more. The volume also includes a Holy Roman Opera, "Turmoil in Brindisi" about a long-forgotten ecumenical council called by Pope Sixtus the Sixth, an equally forgotten pope, and philosophers' songs. Now you can sing along with "The Ballad of Thomas Hobbes", "Dancing Mind to Mind", "Taxidermy daddy", "Ce la Marx", "Sein und Zeit - what does it mean?", "Wie einst, Platon Liebling", and other philosophically revealing songs. Written over a period of 35 years, these jottings are also a record of a lifetime of laughter. "Sabrina Ramet's collection of ditties is sidesplittingly hilarious! What a great idea to deal with the defining concept or characteristics of the world's dictators and their pets and of philosophers in poetry in a humorous way! Among my favorites is Tito and his pet - the self-managing goat, Hector. What is even more important, Ramet with her poems touches us on a deeper level - as human beings with universal human traits." - Lea Plut-Pregelj, University of Maryland "This is a unique publication. Professor Sabrina Ramet has shown how humour can (and should) be used to unmask and demystify dictators and dictatorships. Funny and serious at the same time, these ditties include many authentic touches, such as the reference to self-criticism in the ditty about Ceausescu. The philosophers' song are also great fun, combining witty summaries of some of their major ideas with wild humour." - Knut Erik Solem, The Norwegian University of Science & Technology

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: SCARITH (November 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097877132X
• ISBN-13: 978-0978771324
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,766,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Darkly humorous poetic ditties, May 12, 2007

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pets of the Great Dictators & Other Works (Paperback)

Written by Sabrina P. Ramet (Professor of Political Science at The Norwegian University of Science and Technology), Pets of the Great Dictators & Other Works is a collection darkly humorous poetic ditties about Lenin's cat, Hitler's dog, Qaddafi's sweet-scented camel, Mao's cockroach, Stalin's spider, Ivan the Terrible's goldfish, and many other favored creatures of ruthless tyrants. Also included are a set of "philosopher's songs", poems that apply lyrics about philosophical concepts crafted to match popular musical tunes, and the two-act "Turmoil in Brindisi: A Holy Roman Opera". An inventive, wickedly sardonic compilation brimming with sharp-edged humor cover to cover. "Lenin's Cat": Lenin wasn't born a communist / And nor was his cat. / He wasn't born a leader. / And nor was his cat. // He spent some time in Switzerland / Planning revolution. / He knew that seizing power was / The optimal solution. // He liked to stroke his little pet / And comb its pretty fur / He liked to smoke a cigarette / And hear his kitty purr. // He liked to ride on well-sealed trains / And organized a party. / Everyone's invited but / To join you should be hearty.