The English Companion

by Godfrey Smith

In this witty and stylish companion to Englishness Sunday Times columnist Godfrey Smith takes us on a leisurely but perceptive tour of all that he holds dear in England and the English. It is very much an informal ramble, as if in the company of an old friend. He treats us to a display of sparkling and knowledgeable comments on our national life from Churchill to Pubs, Elgar to Rugby, Bertie Wooster to George Orwell, British Beef to the National Lottery and from Fish and Chips to Evelyn Waugh.

Genres: Nonfiction

286 pages, Hardcover

First published January 16, 1985

About the author

Godfrey Smith (b.1926) was educated at Oxford, where he became President of the Union. He wrote five novels, one of which, The Business of Loving, was a Book Society Choice. Editor of The Sunday times Magazine from 1965 to 1972, he was later a director of The Sunday Times.

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written in 1984, updated in 1988, and needs to be updated again.This review is of the original edition. Parts of it are very dated which is somewhat disconcerting. England has changed dramatically since it was written and the vernacular, historic sites that are now no longer extant and jokes don't quite hold true presently.

Now that I have griped about it, I have to say that it was interesting for the Anglophile as it also covers the history of the culture and what separates England from the United States. In 300 alphabetically arranged entries, the author answers such questions as "what is Cockney rhyming slang", "what is special about Portobello Road", and tries to explain the love of the game cricket. He also talks about the English opinion of P.G. Wodehouse, Noel Coward, Her Majesty the Queen, and Marks&Spencer.

It's a bit of fun for a bedside read but not quite a humorous as I had hoped.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in 1984 and updated in 1988. Some entries have slipped delightfully out of date and others are every bit as relevant and correct today. It features some great quotes from great Englishmen and is well worth reading for a bit of nostalgia about the 1980s and previous decades. The alphabet format makes it a good book for dipping into in spare moments and also provides a really varied read, with porn and post office being close together!

[Annie Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, although it is rather plodding in its delivery. Not as much humour as I would have expected from Mr Smith. Reflective of a time gone by rather than dealing with the here and now of England.