Saturday, October 9, 2010

Happy Birthday John Lennon!!!!

On this day in 1940, John Winston Lennon was born in Liverpool. As a boy he used to make his schoolfriends laugh with his drawings and parodies of teachers and friends. Years later in 1964 he wrote "In His Own Write", a collection of his stories and drawings, printed as they were written and drawn. I won a copy of this in a Beatles art contest, and I have prized it ever since. Lennon was influenced by authors such as James Thurber, Lewis Carroll and James Joyce, but you can tell from the writing that Lewis Carroll really struck a chord. Here's an excerpt from "On This Churly Morn":

On This Churly Morn

Small wonder on this churly morn
I crivy like a black
To think wot I should be farlorn
Through knorb this packymack

Of course no one can forget "Good Dog Nigel". I can still recite it word for word, cause it such a funny little poem. But I'll let John entertain you :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhec4z-l32k




I also have to mention the second book he published, because this was just as good as his first one. There were more short stories and drawings. The book is a little longer and is also written in Lennon's odd nonsensical tongue. Here's an excerpt from a story entitled 'The General Erection":

"Azue orl gnome, Harrassed Wilsod won the General Erection, with a very small marjorie over the Torchies. Thus pudding the the Laboring Partly back into powell after a large abcess. This he could not have done withoutspan the barking of thee Trade Onions, heady by Frenk Cunnings (who noun has a SAFE SEAT in Nuneating thank you and Fronk (only 62) Bowels hasn't)."

Scratch your head if you will at that, but it all makes sense. He was a creative genius, and both of these books show a whole different side of him. One of the best stories in  Spaniard is  "The Singularge Experience of Miss Anne Duffield" which is a story involving "Shamrock Womlbs". It's a crazy mystery story that will have you giggling the whole time.

Happy Reading, and Happy Birthday John!!!!

-Alexandra