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In His Own Write & A Spaniard in the Works
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY
First published in 1964 and 1965, In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works are a brilliantly inventive and offbeat collection of John Lennon's stories, drawings and poems.
First published in 1964 and 1965, In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works are a brilliantly inventive and offbeat collection of John Lennon's stories, drawings and poems.
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
July 15th 2010
by Vintage Classics
(first published 1964)
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Yes, this is how much of a Beatle geek I am.
John may not have been the greatest poet outside of his songs, but he was always an interesting one. He used language as an ends instead of a means. Most of his poems seem completely nonsensical, but by the end you kind of get it. He makes up words and sentence structure to serve his own needs. And he draws simple line drawings to go with the poems. A little like Shel Silverstein, actually.
Both of these books and Skywriting By Word Of Mouth are great a...more
John may not have been the greatest poet outside of his songs, but he was always an interesting one. He used language as an ends instead of a means. Most of his poems seem completely nonsensical, but by the end you kind of get it. He makes up words and sentence structure to serve his own needs. And he draws simple line drawings to go with the poems. A little like Shel Silverstein, actually.
Both of these books and Skywriting By Word Of Mouth are great a...more
I was just filthteen and on the Virgil of becoming totally abscessed with John Winsnot Lemmon. (This was a long long ago, me dairy queens, before the music died) These two books, which I quickly burned, really made me realize what a brilliant guy he was. At least 150 watts, when he was plugged in. I ready this book out loudly to a near-sighted speckled friend of mine in driving class and I still remember him cracking up and nearly killing us...ahh those were the days, Mary Hopkins. This is a ver...more
At first I thought to myself this is not very good. However it actually is. It's ridiculous and silly and complete nonsense, primarily because of all the misspellings and words that may or may not be true and the pairing of words within the sentence. I.e. Last will and testicle.
But when reading it while each story or poem or play has several elements of ridiculousness, it really is a commentary on politics, religion, and stereotypes. He exposes them so that the reader can see the silliness and...more
But when reading it while each story or poem or play has several elements of ridiculousness, it really is a commentary on politics, religion, and stereotypes. He exposes them so that the reader can see the silliness and...more
Sep 05, 2010
Brianna
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of Lennon, Thurber, Carroll, Joyce, or Silverstein
Shelves:
books-i-bought-used
Part James Thurber, part Lewis Carroll, and yet somehow all John Lennon. The book is full of wordplay, which works best when he has something to say -- which happens more so in Write than Spaniard (John himself has said he wrote Spaniard under pressure and with the help of booze.)
There are laugh-out-loud funny lines ("Oh Lord, I've jes' eaten a bastard!") and black humour (Good Dog Nigel) and pure cleverness (No Flies On Frank).
There are laugh-out-loud funny lines ("Oh Lord, I've jes' eaten a bastard!") and black humour (Good Dog Nigel) and pure cleverness (No Flies On Frank).
Nonsense is hard to review constructively because theres always a lack of construction within the work itself. As an uncensored peer into Lennons imagination the first of the pair in particular is fantastic; laced with dark humor, brilliant wordplay and a third thing to make this sentence sound better. For just about anyone who appreciates beautiful nonsense, with it hopefully being a given for Beatles/Lennon fans.
This is definitely something not to power through, but something to read, get confused, read again, and sort of get. John Lennon's word play is usually very witty, and sometimes there are wonderfully bad puns. The stories and poems are usually bizarre, but it's a worthwhile read.
This was the first book ever checked out of the new Castro Valley Library. I'm thinking about reporting it lost and just paying the fine.
He wrote some of the most inspiring and soul grabbing things I couldn't put it down.
Sep 22, 2010
Michael
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people with a sense of humor
I had both of these volumes years ago that were destroyed with many other books in my library by a house fire. I was recently in England and bought this book which contains both of John's works. He was known as the witty Beatle for good reason. His wit and skill using words is on display here and in songs like "I am the Walrus."
I read mostly for self-education, but, now and then, just to smile. These books make me smile. Just FYI...I received my Kindle today....mgc
I read mostly for self-education, but, now and then, just to smile. These books make me smile. Just FYI...I received my Kindle today....mgc
I think John Lennon was a really good songwriter, an astute observer of human nature, and an admirable advocate for peace.
I loved this book! I could here John's voice reading every story and poem; so many made me laugh :)
Poems and sketches by Lennon. Beyond quirky.
Great Lennon word play.
May 03, 2013
Lotte
marked it as to-read
Apr 09, 2013
Andinoelle
marked it as to-read
Mar 16, 2013
Heather Rice
marked it as to-read
Mar 04, 2013
Margaretha Nita Andrianti
marked it as to-read
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John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE, was an English singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, and together with Paul McCartney formed one of the most successful songwriting partnerships of the 20th century.
Born and raised in Liverpool, Lennon became involved in the skiffle craze as a teenager, his first band, The Quarrymen, evolving into The Beatles in 19...more
More about John Lennon...
Born and raised in Liverpool, Lennon became involved in the skiffle craze as a teenager, his first band, The Quarrymen, evolving into The Beatles in 19...more
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