George Mikes
George Mikes
George Mikeswas a Hungarian-born British author best known for his humorous commentaries on various countries...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionJournalist
Date of Birth15 February 1912
achievement stupidity goes-on
To have created a Welfare State was a great achievement; but we must go on to create a Welfare Planet.
humorous israel tears
Israel also deprived the world of its chance of shedding tears of genuine sympathy over her destruction. The world resents this; it likes to feel noble and sympathetic.
humorous israel airports
Tel-Aviv airport is still the only airport in the world where each passenger is met by ten relatives.
humorous russia attention
In Moscow they do not pay much attention to the living but keep their cemeteries in a splendid state.
strong monsters suspicion
English humor resembles the Loch Ness Monster in that both are famous but there is a strong suspicion that neither exists.
drama humorous writing
American radio is the reverse of the Shakespearean stage. In Shakespeare's time the world's greatest dramas were acted with the most primitive technical arrangements; on the American air the world's most primitive writing is performed under perfect technical conditions.
long queues admire
The English are always ready to admire anything so long as they can queue up.
may way criminals
A criminal may improve and become a decent member of society. A foreigner cannot improve. Once a foreigner, always a foreigner. There is no way out for him.
humorous israel language
Bad English was the second language of Israel and bad Hebrew, of course, remained the national language.
religious humorous israel
Long before the word Zionism was uttered for the first time, old religious Jews came from all over the world to die in Jerusalem. It is the finest place to die in - it has always been acknowledged. It has a joie de mourir quite its own.
sarcastic country humorous
Was he joking? Was he being sarcastic? Aggressive? Impertinent? Or just courteous? There was no telling from his impassive face. What a country, he thought despairingly. In Russia you always knew. If a man made a stern face he was threatening; if he was laughing uproariously, he was joking.
funny sports party
A great deal of the pupils time was spent going through, once again, the History of the Communist (Bolshevik) Party of the Soviet Union. He had learnt it at elementary school; at secondary school; at his sports club; at the Komsomol; at the university; at a folk dancing course; at the chess-club.
crowds pushing behaviour
A foreign observer is struck by our gentleness: by the orderly behaviour of the English crowds, the lack of pushing and quarrelling, the willingness to form queues.
language humour exquisite
The English take everything with an exquisite sense of humour. They are only offended if you tell them that they have no sense of humour.