h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Was the desire to decapitate GBS expressed by a country (in a legal manner possibly) or but an individual (or select group thereof)?


Geggs

>It has absolutely nothing to do with a bartender anyway, has it?<

Nothing whatsoever.

Good question - the offer/threat/suggestion - call it what you like - was made by an individual.

......But not Wilde.............................

Neds more thought, as Shaw was disliked by many.....

As Wilde said "Shaw has not an enemy in the world; and all his friends dislike him"


GT

That quote book is really coming in handy, isn't it?

Perhaps they thought they'd be doing him a favour?

Was the individual we're looking for an "official" in any way?

There's a story about GBS sending two tickets for the first night of one of his plays to Churchill, with a note saying "bring a friend, if you have one", to which Churchill would have answered "I'll go to the second show, if there is one".
Unsure of the actual wording, since I only ever heard it told in French...

That quote is correct, frenchie!

Nothing like a good old put-down. Politics and literature are full of 'em!!


GT

I always liked this one, but I have to admit the one about flowers and children is even better.

An official? No - they were acting independently.

>Perhaps they thought they'd be doing him a favour?<

Were they serious about it?

Or was it something along the lines of
GBS : "Oh, I've got a terrible headache"
Unknown person that we're looking for : "You could have it cut off, then it wouldn't hurt any more"
?

Well given that the comment was made in German, it's kind of hard to tell if they were being sarcastic or not.

I can see this leading to one of Shaw's many critics, as in "Do the world a favour, and cut off his head"



GT

So was the person German? Austrian? Swiss? Belgian?
Was it their first language at all?
Or did they just fancy saying it in German?

Now we are even.

"one of Shaw's critics"

Oh my! Did I let slip a clue? Whoopsie!

I have said too much.

I think more the latter of the three, a case of knowing your audience.

>..did they just fancy saying it in German....<

>...the latter of the three, a case of knowing your audience<

I take this to mean that German was not the speaker's first language...



GT

Yes.

Was English the first language??


GT

Yes.