Professor at Large: The Cornell Years

Suffice it to say that I’ve been a fan of Cleese and his work for years – from Monty Python to Harry Potter’s Nearly Headless Nick. But this isn’t simply a collection of funny stories presented with the sharp-wit, layered comedy for which he’s known. No these essays are insightful and probing, intelligent and requiring the reader (or listener) to approach each moment with an attitude that allows you to travel along the pathways and branches to the ultimate point, or a new way of viewing that point. Comedians as a whole are not unable to toss ideas and concepts about to create wholly new combinations and perspectives, and Cleese’s concepts and ideas come from everything and everywhere and you will find as you read on, several references to works of fiction and non-fiction, scholarly and popular tomes that inform, help build a reference, or even provide the ‘jumping off point’ at which his thought and conclusion began. From moments about Python and show-business in general, to society’s ills, dynamics of groups large and small, and even some moments in interviews with questions, answers and topics that seem to be one thing – but quickly move off into that peculiar area that caught interest and fuels more questions. In this day and age (particularly in the US) where intelligent thought is subjugated and mocked, where leaders can’t craft a sentence and 140 characters have become ‘the standard’ for domestic and international policy – this is a celebration of the intellectually facile and curious. It demands you pay attention, spurs curiosity and provides another approach to viewing a situation by exercising those often long-dormant muscles that encourage a view from another side, or approached from a new understanding. Oh sure, these aren’t truly ‘life lessons’ to be memorized and practiced from this day forward, but contain little nuggets that speak directly to the curious – giving them new areas to question or examine. Even more intriguing in this collection is Cleese’s tone and approach to the subjects upon which he touches: it isn’t a laugh a minute, but carefully crafted, almost sly insertions of humor that appears entirely coincidental, but if you’ve paid any attention at all to the man, you will see that there is an enjoyment in sharing and finding the humor, often deeply buried, that can arrive in even the most dire of circumstances. With a mix of lecture, interview and a question and answer session – there are moments here that will soon become your favorite, until the next comes along. Do yourself a favor and don’t get this book if you want a barrage of silly walks and knights who say “ni”, there are no dead parrots or elderberries. It’s intelligent, thought provoking and spurred a list of titles that I’ve been diligently searching down to inform myself with original works mentioned. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.