E. C. Bentley (1875–1956)

E C Bentley - [The Complete Clerihews]
Gavin Ewart in his introduction to The Complete Clerihews published in 1951 says of the author:

Bentley was an intelligent Gent - and by this I mean a well educated member of the English upper classes. - liberal and uncensorious in his instincts, a member of the Fabian society at Oxford (but also an enthusiastic rowing man).

He became famous for writing short witty poems, named after his own middle name, which were designed to amuse.

Charles Dickens
It was a pity about Dickens
Insane jealousy of chickens
And one could almost weep
At his morbid mistrust of sheep

A more formal definition of the Clerihew is: a humorous pseudo-biographical quatrain, rhymed in two couplets, with lines of uneven length more or less in the rhythm of prose. It is short and pithy, and often contains or implies a moral reflection of some kind. The name of the individual who is subject of the quatrain usually supplies the first line:

Geoffrey Chaucer
Took a bath in a saucer
In consequence of certain hints
Dropped by the Black Prince

Cervantes
The people of Spain think Cervantes
Equal to half a dozen Dantes
An opinion resented bitterly
By the people of Italy

Clerihews certainly enjoyed popularity and were ditties or poems that many people felt that they could have a go at - perhaps a bit like the Haiku today. As late as December 1980 the Weekend Competition in the New Statesman invited Clerihews on existing newspapers and magazines, and in 1981 the Sunday Times ran a clerihew competition.

Brahms
It only irritated Brahms
To be tickled under the arms
What really helped him compose
Was to be stroked on the nose

George Bernard Shaw
Mr George Bernard Shaw
Was just setting out for the war
When he heard it was a dangerous trade
And demonstrably underpaid

The Complete Clerihews which is apparently not complete is set out: one to a page with an amusing pen and ink illustration. Some of them refer to political or celebrity characters that have since faded into anonymity, but I loved them all, harmless fun with a sense of the absurd - 5 stars and I couldn't resist:

Mr Donald J Trump
Is really a bit of a chump
He once stood on the steps of the Capitol
But will soon disappear down a rabbit-hole.… (mais)

Un libro di alti e bassi, con alcune buone trovate alternate a scelte discutibili.
Mi è piaciuto il tono scanzonato ed il fatto che parta con un'impostazione da giallo classico per poi sovvertirne la regola fondamentale, ossia l'infallibilità del detective: qui Philip Trent non ne azzecca una e deve essere guidato passo passo alla soluzione, con un doppio colpo di scena ben congegnato.
Il finale quindi è apprezzabile, ma lo svolgimento lascia molto a desiderare perché è piatto e troppo schematico, non stimola mai la curiosità del lettore. Il difetto peggiore però è la presenza ingombrante della love story tra il protagonista e la moglie della vittima: uno sviluppo di trama superfluo, che non si adatta alla leggerezza e all'ironia del romanzo e che finisce per occupare un posto troppo preponderante nell'intreccio, a discapito del mistero (che già di suo non era esattamente brillante).
Che dire dunque in conclusione? Giallo discreto, che si fa leggere ma non lascia il segno.… (mais)