Showing results for "The Simon" in Satire

Samuel Pickwick, founder and chairman of the Pickwick Club, engages three fellow members to accompany him on a journey. By coach they’ll travel to the outreaches of London to explore, observe, and report back on the quaint wonders of the English countryside. What transpires is a picaresque romp of misadventures, hair-raising challenges, and romantic follies entangling the fates of a riot of colorful characters - a passel of villains, spinsters, poets, and sportsmen - and the unworldly Pickwick himself, who has much to learn about life outside his gentleman’s club.

It used to be: Make good grades, get good SAT scores, write a good essay, and you were on your way to a good college. Now? Kiss that world goodbye. Merit isn’t a sure thing. Connections are everything. And money talks– a lot. Enter Kelly Pritzker (Abbi Jacobson), a shrewd, New Jersey-based college “consultant” who isn’t above faking athletic profiles, seducing administrators, greasing palms, and juicing GPAs. When it comes to getting the under-qualified and uber-privileged into the Ivy League, Kelly’s the closest thing you’ll find to a guarantee...If you can afford her, that is.

Anthony Trollope's classic novel centers on Mr. Harding, a clergyman of great personal integrity whose charitable income far exceeds the purpose for which it was intended. On discovering this, young John Bold turns his reforming zeal toward exposing what he regards as an abuse of privilege, despite the fact that he is in love with Mr. Harding's daughter, Eleanor.

Marcy Hammer's life has been turned upside down. Her husband, the head of a global brassiere empire, didn't think twice about leaving her after thirty-three years of marriage for a 32DD lingerie model. Now Harvey the Home-Wrecker is missing in action, but Marcy's through thinking about what a cliché he is. What she needs now is a party-size bag of potato chips, a good support system, and a new dress.

Richard Strange's 'A Mighty Big If' event at The Crypt, St Martin in the Fields, London. Writer and adventurer Richard regularly staged entertaining and illuminating conversations with major cultural figures. Comedian Simon Day, most know from The Fast Show, reads from his autobiography, Comedy and Error: They Really Were Marvellous Time, and talks about his work.

Two female agents of Operation Cream Cake - double agents and honey traps against the KGB - are murdered. Bond must find the others and conduct them to safety before they meet a similar fate. In a race against time, Bond travels to Ireland and the KGB is soon on the scene. But all is not as it seems and soon Bond finds he needs all his wits to negotiate a labyrinth of double-crossing that is to lead him to a bewildering showdown in a remote corner of the Kowloon province of Hong Kong.

Mark Robarts, a young vicar, is newly arrived in the village of Framley. With ambitions to further his career, he seeks connections in the county's high society. He is soon preyed upon by a local member of parliament to guarantee a substantial loan, which Mark, in a moment of weakness, agrees to, even though he knows the man is a notorious debtor; it brings Mark to the brink of ruin.

I never wanted any of this. Sure, I'll take the universe-shattering powers—who wouldn't? But there's always a bloody price. You don't inherit the ability to bend creation to your will and get to ride off into the sunset. Oh no, every power-hungry dickhead in the universe wants a piece of the action, especially the former God of Creation. Not that I asked for the title—or any of the mess that comes with it. But, if I want to achieve my dream of being left the hell alone, it's going to cost me. And that price? Pain… so much pain.

A collection of BBC readings and dramas celebrating the much-loved schoolboy terror. First featured in five books by Geoffrey Willans, with cartoon illustrations by Ronald Searle, Nigel Molesworth is one of the funniest comic creations in literature. A superbly satirical chronicler of 1950s England, he influenced a generation with his anarchic take on life.

When the body of a mysterious woman is found to be carrying the phone number of James Bond, Bond is called in by M to help the investigation. But before he can even reach headquarters he is nearly run off the road in a high-speed motorway chase. Someone wants Bond dead.

Denk an das schlimmste Date deines Lebens – und du bist noch nicht einmal nahe dran! Ein ebenso humorvoller wie lebenskluger Roman, eine grandiose Mischung aus Humor und existentiellen Fragen. The Walking Date ist keine normale Dating-Plattform: Hier können sich Menschen, die nicht mehr lange zu leben haben, noch ein letztes Mal verlieben. Deshalb hat sich auch Patient Raphael bei TWD angemeldet, und tatsächlich funkt es zwischen ihm und der ebenfalls erkrankten Nala. Doch am Tag ihres ersten Blind Dates geht es Raphael nicht gut.

Poet Ian McMillan is our host in this gleeful game of literary tomfoolery, outrageous parody and biting wit. Joining him for some lighthearted competitive wordplay are a quartet of writers and comedians, all ready and eager to run riot through the halls of great literature.

Wie werden wir leben, falls die weltweit auf Hochtouren laufende Forschung zur biologischen Verjüngung des Menschen Erfolg hat? SPIEGEL-Bestsellerautor Maxim Leo legt einen raffinierten und hochgradig unterhaltsamen Roman über vier Menschen vor, deren Leben so unmerklich wie unaufhaltsam aus den Fugen gerät. Sie sind Probanden einer medizinischen Studie der Berliner Charité, deren »Nebenwirkungen« ungeahnte Folgen hat: eine biologische Verjüngung um gleich mehrere Jahre. Jakob ist gerade seiner ersten Liebe begegnet und verliert auf einmal jegliche Lust.

What do you do when the doctor says you could die at any moment? Well...after you’ve made a cup of tea, of course. Nathan James is young, successful and has the world at his feet. Unfortunately, he’s also about to die—which ruins things somewhat. And now he’s staring imminent death in the face, Nathan is having to rethink some of his life choices very hard. Then Nathan falls in love with a charming girl called Alison, which is a really stupid thing to do. Because how can you give your heart to someone when it might be about to stop?

Ever since he fell off the stage live on Question Time, Labour MP Duncan Stonebridge has been stuck in political limbo. Struggling with a tiny majority and a career that's going nowhere, he's caught between the impossible demands of his constituents and the dictates of Westminster—and constantly afflicted by the bane of all politicians: events. Whether he's getting wound up about a wind farm, saving his party agent from a rabid Russian oligarch, fending off accusations or losing a laptop full of reports, life never runs smoothly for the beleaguered backbencher.

Dubbed 'the father of the English novel' by Sir Walter Scott, Henry Fielding is well known for his ribald humour and ironic, satirical fiction. Collected here are four of his most famous works, including his comic masterpiece Tom Jones, as well as a fascinating documentary exploring the foundling motif in fiction.

Wild rabies runs rampant through the woods. The foxes are gaining ground, boldly making their way into the village. In Dichtersruhe, an insular yet charming haven stifled by the Swiss mountains, these omens go unnoticed by all but the new parish priest. The residents have other things on their mind: literature. Everyone’s a writer - the nights are alive with reworked manuscripts. So when the devil turns up in a black car claiming to be a hot-shot publisher, unsatisfied authorial desires are unleashed and the village’s former harmony is shattered.

Step into a whimsical, prehistoric England where myths come alive and bravery is a matter of perspective. The Dreadful Dragon of Hay Hill by Max Beerbohm is a delightful satirical fable that blends gentle humor with timeless themes of courage, self-discovery, and community.

This classic book of English literature is an insightful satire on human nature, probing the corruption of man. It's also a parody on traveller's tales, as Jonathan Swift chronicles the voyages to Lilliput, Brobingnag, and other fantastical destinations in this powerful 18th-century masterpiece. Simon Cadell reads with a sure touch and great understanding of his subject.

After Vladimir Lenin’s death, Stalin orders two Jewish scientists to preserve Lenin’s body for all time. If they succeed, the rewards will be considerable. If not, it’s the gulag - or worse. Based on real events, Vern Theissen’s nimble dark comedy exposes the absurdities of Soviet life under Stalin.