busker

"Self-mockery remains an intrinsic element of Englishness. The Englishman, unlike Queen Victoria, is always prepared to be amused. His characteristic response to the unbearable is to make a joke of it. This chronic lack of seriousness baffles the rest of the world, who see it as a kind of callousness, but it is what protects the Englishman from the fanaticism inherent in tabloid culture. But it can be a near thing. We could have done with more jokes about the Pope’s funeral, for example, instead of taking the whole preposterous jamboree at face value."

I like Chandler's "The Bible ... is a lesson in how not to write for the movies" and George Kaufman's "Everything I've ever said will be credited to Dorothy Parker" but am astonished that my old publishing pal Judith Young is attributed with the 'publisher's view' that , "It's just called 'The Bible' now. We droppped the word 'Holy' to give it more mass-market appeal."