In Other Words

In Other Words - a hilarious book of verse, anecdotes and memories by John Mortimer

From one of Britain's greatest ever raconteurs, these are the stories with which John Mortimer entertained the nation for years: of seedy criminals and the even seedier criminal justice system, of boyhood and his remarkable father, of passion and politics, and most of all English eccentrics from Lord Byron to the present day. Along the way, we meet a motley crew of failed murderers, remorseful drunkards, unrepentant adulterers and cantankerous judges. And interspersed among these humorous vignettes is a wonderful selection of English (and some American) poetry, which beautifully complements the stories.

In Other Words is the record of an extraordinary life lived in law and literature, and a story of England and Englishness. If you like P.G. Wodehouse you will love this book.

Sir John Mortimer was a barrister, playwright and novelist. His fictional trilogy about the inexorable rise of an ambitious Tory MP in the Thatcher years (Paradise Postponed, Titmuss Regained and The Sound of Trumpets) has recently been republished in Penguin Classics, together with Clinging to the Wreckage and his play A Voyage round My Father. His most famous creation was the barrister Horace Rumpole, who featured in four novels and around eighty short stories. His books in Penguin include: The Anti-social Behaviour of Horace Rumpole; The Collected Stories of Rumpole; The First Rumpole Omnibus; Rumpole and the Angel of Death; Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders; Rumpole and the Primrose Path; Rumpole and the Reign of Terror; Rumpole and the Younger Generation; Rumpole at Christmas; Rumpole Rests His Case; The Second Rumpole Omnibus; Forever Rumpole; In Other Words; Quite Honestly and Summer's Lease.

John Mortimer is a novelist, playwright and former practising barrister. Among his many publications are several volumes of Rumpole stories and a trilogy of political novels (Paradise Postponed, Titmuss Regained and The Sound of Trumpets) featuring Leslie Titmuss. Sir John received a knighthood for his services to the arts in 1998.