HOLLYWOOD—Hello America! Many of you might remember, as I do, sitting in an English literary class totally immersed in the writing of some of the greatest writers our world has ever produced. The subtlety, cleverness, the way we were drawn into their journey of exploration and understanding made it impossible to describe. I was so drawn into their world of the “possible” there were very few days that I didn’t have a bundle of books under my arm to further investigate. I was fascinated by the twists and turns of words, phrases – all leaving the excitement of discovery. Recently, William Alexander, one of my friends at BET (Washington, D.C.) sent me a list of some of our greatest humorists and writers who prove my point.

Winston Churchill. Photo courtesy of msibanda.blogspot.com

The following insults are from an era before the English language got boiled down to four-letter words. A member of Parliament to Disraeli: “Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease.” “He had delusions of adequacy,” said Walter Kerr. “He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire,” said Winston Churchill “I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure,” said Clarence Darrow.

Other greats include, “He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary,” said William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway). “Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I’ll waste no time reading it,” said Moses Hadas “I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it,” Mark Twain said.

“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends,” British writer Oscar Wilde once said. “I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend, if you have one,” – George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill and in response Churchill wrote to Shaw the following, “Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second, if there is one.”

I believe I’ve proven my point.