What do you think?
Rate this book
Tango
Tango. A Solo Across South America
176 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1961
About the author
George Mikes
142 books55 followersGeorge Mikes (pronounced Mik-esh) was a Hungarian-born British author best known for his humorous commentaries on various countries.
Mikes graduated in Budapest in 1933 and started work as a journalist on Reggel ("Morning"), a Budapest newspaper. For a short while he wrote a column called Intim Pista for Színházi Élet ("Theatre Life").
In 1938 Mikes became the London correspondent for Reggel and 8 Órao Ujság ("8 Hours"). He worked for Reggel until 1940. Having been sent to London to cover the Munich Crisis and expecting to stay for only a couple of weeks, he remained for the rest of his life. In 1946 he became a British Citizen. It is reported that being a Jew from Hungary was a factor in his decision. Mikes wrote in both Hungarian and English: The Observer, The Times Literary Supplement, Encounter, Irodalmi Újság, Népszava, the Viennese Hungarian-language Magyar Híradó, and Világ.
From 1939 Mikes worked for the BBC Hungarian section making documentaries, at first as a freelance correspondent and, from 1950, as an employee. From 1975 until his death on 30 August 1987 he worked for the Hungarian section of Szabad Európa Rádió. He was president of the London branch of PEN, and a member of the Garrick Club.
His friends included Arthur Koestler, J. B. Priestley and André Deutsch, who was also his publisher.
His first book (1945) was We Were There To Escape – the true story of a Jugoslav officer about life in prisoner-of-war camps. The Times Literary Supplement praised the book for the humour it showed in parts, which led him to write his most famous book How to be an Alien which in 1946 proved a great success in post-war Britain.
How to be an Alien (1946) poked gentle fun at the English, including a one-line chapter on sex: "Continental people have sex lives; the English have hot-water bottles."
Subsequent books dealt with (among others) Japan (The Land of the Rising Yen), Israel (Milk and Honey, The Prophet Motive), the U.S. (How to Scrape Skies), and the United Nations (How to Unite Nations), Australia (Boomerang), the British again (How to be Inimitable, How to be Decadent), and South America (How to Tango). Other subjects include God (How to be God), his cat (Tsi-Tsa), wealth (How to be Poor) or philosophy (How to be a Guru).
Apart from his commentaries, he wrote humorous fiction (Mortal Passion; The Spy Who Died of Boredom) and contributed to the satirical television series That Was The Week That Was.
His autobiography was called How to be Seventy.
Serious writing included a book about the Hungarian Secret Police and he narrated a BBC television report of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
Mikes graduated in Budapest in 1933 and started work as a journalist on Reggel ("Morning"), a Budapest newspaper. For a short while he wrote a column called Intim Pista for Színházi Élet ("Theatre Life").
In 1938 Mikes became the London correspondent for Reggel and 8 Órao Ujság ("8 Hours"). He worked for Reggel until 1940. Having been sent to London to cover the Munich Crisis and expecting to stay for only a couple of weeks, he remained for the rest of his life. In 1946 he became a British Citizen. It is reported that being a Jew from Hungary was a factor in his decision. Mikes wrote in both Hungarian and English: The Observer, The Times Literary Supplement, Encounter, Irodalmi Újság, Népszava, the Viennese Hungarian-language Magyar Híradó, and Világ.
From 1939 Mikes worked for the BBC Hungarian section making documentaries, at first as a freelance correspondent and, from 1950, as an employee. From 1975 until his death on 30 August 1987 he worked for the Hungarian section of Szabad Európa Rádió. He was president of the London branch of PEN, and a member of the Garrick Club.
His friends included Arthur Koestler, J. B. Priestley and André Deutsch, who was also his publisher.
His first book (1945) was We Were There To Escape – the true story of a Jugoslav officer about life in prisoner-of-war camps. The Times Literary Supplement praised the book for the humour it showed in parts, which led him to write his most famous book How to be an Alien which in 1946 proved a great success in post-war Britain.
How to be an Alien (1946) poked gentle fun at the English, including a one-line chapter on sex: "Continental people have sex lives; the English have hot-water bottles."
Subsequent books dealt with (among others) Japan (The Land of the Rising Yen), Israel (Milk and Honey, The Prophet Motive), the U.S. (How to Scrape Skies), and the United Nations (How to Unite Nations), Australia (Boomerang), the British again (How to be Inimitable, How to be Decadent), and South America (How to Tango). Other subjects include God (How to be God), his cat (Tsi-Tsa), wealth (How to be Poor) or philosophy (How to be a Guru).
Apart from his commentaries, he wrote humorous fiction (Mortal Passion; The Spy Who Died of Boredom) and contributed to the satirical television series That Was The Week That Was.
His autobiography was called How to be Seventy.
Serious writing included a book about the Hungarian Secret Police and he narrated a BBC television report of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 29, 2021
Humour from 60 years - when Penguin used to bring out these types of books - I used to have Stephen Potter’s works back home and here I’ve found George Mikes. I think Northcote Parkinson is another in this line.
Mikes was basically a Magyar exile who made good in the UK with one massive hit of a book, How to be an Alien, which had over 30 printings. But he wrote many more; I have his books on LatAm, Israel, the US and the CEE.
I wasn’t sure what to expect - didn’t have very high hopes to be honest. Was looking for a change of pace after a good deal of fiction - and the opening pages on Brazil seemed to be living down to my lowest expectations.
However, turns out Mikes is a more perceptive observer, and he has plenty of intelligent things to say about the nature of Brazilian society. This becomes especially clear in his comments on race and sex in Brazil.
And then there are the jokes. Gentle, genial, slightly waspish - the best of the lot so far has to be the holiday competition in Brasilia, it had me in pieces. Will be interesting to see Argentina, Peru and the rest through his eyes.
PS so he perceives a certain sadness in Argentina, and cruel injustice against the Indians in Peru. But it was his description of Venezuela, prosperous beyond dreams, and Caracas, the world’s biggest boomtown, that really jarred. In this the year of our lord 2021, Venezuela back then reads less like fiction, much more like myth!
Mikes was basically a Magyar exile who made good in the UK with one massive hit of a book, How to be an Alien, which had over 30 printings. But he wrote many more; I have his books on LatAm, Israel, the US and the CEE.
I wasn’t sure what to expect - didn’t have very high hopes to be honest. Was looking for a change of pace after a good deal of fiction - and the opening pages on Brazil seemed to be living down to my lowest expectations.
However, turns out Mikes is a more perceptive observer, and he has plenty of intelligent things to say about the nature of Brazilian society. This becomes especially clear in his comments on race and sex in Brazil.
And then there are the jokes. Gentle, genial, slightly waspish - the best of the lot so far has to be the holiday competition in Brasilia, it had me in pieces. Will be interesting to see Argentina, Peru and the rest through his eyes.
PS so he perceives a certain sadness in Argentina, and cruel injustice against the Indians in Peru. But it was his description of Venezuela, prosperous beyond dreams, and Caracas, the world’s biggest boomtown, that really jarred. In this the year of our lord 2021, Venezuela back then reads less like fiction, much more like myth!
March 4, 2023
A short, satirical read. Quite fun; very of its time (1961), and as such contained several comments that would be considered un-PC now.
Interesting to see his views on countries such as Colombia and Venezuela - though sadly his optimism about their futures has proven unfounded - and compare the book with with later, similar works such as 'Viva South America!' (Balch) and 'The Old Patagonian Express' (Theroux).
Interesting to see his views on countries such as Colombia and Venezuela - though sadly his optimism about their futures has proven unfounded - and compare the book with with later, similar works such as 'Viva South America!' (Balch) and 'The Old Patagonian Express' (Theroux).
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews