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

Logic will now take my typing finger over (eh?)

An Englishman, talking about G.B.Shaw to a German speaking audience.

Could be one of a few only now!

Shall I leap before I look?


Oh ghoti!!!

























Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor!











Could be over Shaw's support for the Irish Rebellion







But nothing to do with Shaw's Nobel Lauriate status!



GT

>>Logic will now take my typing finger over<<

I nominate quote of the day!


I didn't have Edward VIII - good guess though!

I did however predict someone might think it was

"because of Shaw's affiliation* with some elements of Irish nationalism" -5

Soz Gt.

Have a DGI +1 though to soften the blow becuase in a strange way it has everything to do with Shaw's Nobel Laureate status!



*though not affection
http://www.newstatesman.com/society/2008/01/ireland-irish-england-ulster

At klaxon!

Still more to come on 'Catch us if you Can' though!!!


Nobel prize eh?


I will go and have a thunk!!!(not typo!)


GT

It is hard having lain out the minefield, to see folk walk up and stamp on the suspicious protrusion in the top soil - and having recently experienced it from the other side myself - it stings a little too.

Back to the matter in hand.

I thought the Duke of Windsor was a goodie, as he was rather pally with the Germans!!


So. Nobel prize.

How would that draw attention.

Knowing Shaw as I do, (English Lit. 'O'level) could it be that he initially refused it?

As an awkward sod too, I bet he refused the dosh!!


GT

Someone who might have got the Nobel prize if it wasn't for GBS?

What were they doing in Germany / Austria / Switzerland / Belgium / , anyway?
Were they invited?
Did they live there?

We know they were an English speaker, but were they actually English?
Or even from the UK at all?
For all we know (for now), he (she?) might have been Amreican, Indian or whatnot.


... Can you tell I'm completely clueless and just type everything that comes to mind?

Was the someone trying to say something in German to GBS, making a mistake which translated as 'I will chop your head off'?

Or was his hovercraft full of eels?

His or her by the way? Was the person we are looking for a man?

This may be a little out of left field but ....

there were some people at that time experimenting with reactivating heads which had been separated from bodies - anything to do with this?

GBS would have been regarded as one of the brightest of his era so, did someone propose him as a candidate?

Indeed - looking back he does seem a plausible candidate - but I only have the facts before and it isn't him.

He wanted to refuse the prize, becuase he held Views™ about public honours but his wife persuaded him otherwise, he did however donate the monetary award which accompanies the prize funnelling it instead to a project to translate Swedish literature to English.

Have a DGI +1 for being right about the cash, but it's got precious little to do with who wanted to chop his head off.

We know they were an English speaker, but were they actually English?

No.


What were they doing in Germany / Austria / Switzerland / Belgium / , anyway?
Were they invited?


That I cannot answer, only that the source for this QI published the remarks in German in Germany.

Well I've bunged the German into Google Translate and got something which reads like relevant nonsense back. We may have to pass it by any native German-speakers for final confirmation of sensibility.

But I think you should discount the idea of a mistranslation or madness for that matter - it seems the intent was quite serious.


Him or her?

Him.

How did I know it would be you?

Feisor DGI+1

Tangental thinking.........

Would it help if we had some idea of the date this all happened??



GT

St Patrick's Day 1929, is the day the comment was published.

1925 GBS was Nobel Lauriate.

1929 comment made.


Nah! nothing coming.....


GT

My penchant for obscure gruesome stuff pays off again

Off to rack my grey cells for more ....

I think this is something we have in common.

I know that the Russians were experimenting with reanimating dogs' heads and I think that the concept fascinated the intelligentsia of the period.

Knowing Shaw's rather high opinion of himself I wouldn't be surprised if Shaw himself hadn't - not offered himself but he may have considered himself a likely candidate if the process could be proved.

I think the thought of being able to continue producing after death would have fascinated him.

That's about the long and short of it.

Feisor +3

So the man we're looking for, was he a scientist?