Peter Ustinov Knihy

De Oude Man en meneer Smith zijn zonder meer het meest verrassende paar uit de hedendaagse literatuur! Het zijn niemand minder dan God en de Duivel op werkbezoek op planeet Aarde. Ze hebben de ontwikkelingen in de moderne maatschappij echter niet helemaal kunnen bijbenen, hetgeen beide oude heren in grote problemen brengt. Na hun arrestatie door de FBI wegens valsemunterij (God kent een trucje om gloednieuwe dollarbiljetten uit de lucht te plukken) en de daaropvolgende ontsnapping, zijn ze de rest van hun onderzoeksmissie op de vlucht voor de autoriteiten. Hun vlucht is een razendsnelle reis rond de wereld. Ze bezoeken onder meer de Verenigde Staten (waar een 'absurd optimisme' heerst), de Sovjetunie (dat op het punt staat in te storten), een door conflicten verscheurd Israël, Japan (waar efficiency verheven is tot de nieuwe religie) en China (met zijn 'dictatuur van het bejaardenhuis'). En dat is nog maar het begin! De Oude Man en meneer Smith is een ironische parabel over onze tijd. Ustinov toont ons de wereld, gezien door de scherpe blik van twee onsterfelijken: de beminnelijke Oude Man, vermoeid en vergeetachtig maar zeer bezorgd over zijn Schepping, en meneer Smith, in zijn slechtgehumeurdheid en bekommernis een zeer menselijke duivel. Beiden ontwikkelen onderweg een verrassend wederzijds respect.

Známý britský herec a dramatik je rovněž autorem humoristických povídek. Povídka Dezinformátor vypráví příběh vysloužilého a nudícího se agenta britské tajné služby, který na základě televizní zprávy o výbuchu vymyslí tajnou arabskou organizaci a vodí za nos své bývalé kolegy. Druhá povídka Nos stokrát jinak popisuje trápení dcery dokonalých rodičů, která zdědila kromě všech kladných vlastností i jejich objemný nos.

To its devotees, opera is the most sublime of arts. It is also one of the most accident prone, and when things go wrong, they tend to do so on a grand scale. Great Operatic Disasters records some of the most memorable calamities from opera houses around the world. Most of them are true, some have been embroidered over the years, and a few, well, se non e vero, e ben trovato.

Peter Ustinov was revered as one of the world's truly legendary entertainers. As an actor, producer, director, novelist, playwright, and columnist, his body of work was not only vast and thoroughly impressive, but enduring. Add a Dash of Pity, a superb collection of short stories, shows Sir Peter at his narrative, perceptive best. Ustinov possessed the uncommon ability to amuse and touch readers simultaneously, a talent which has nowhere been better displayed than in this fascinating array of short stories, which includes: "The Man Who Took It Easy," "The Wingless Icarus," "The Man in the Moon," "A Place in the Shade," "A Word in the World's Ear," "There Are 43,200 Seconds in a Day," "The Aftertaste," and the title piece, "Add a Dash of Pity."

Of all the big men in the small Midwest town, Chief of Police Bartram T. Krumnagel was the biggest. A physical giant with an unbeatable talent for wrongful arrest, he kept the streets safe by shooting on sight. But how would such a stout defender of American liberty fare on foreign soil?

The improbable, and strangely sympathetic, hero of The Loser is Hans Winterschild, who was born just in time to reach manhood in the Hitler years. His father was a colonel in WWI; his brother-in-law is an SS officer. Hans falls in love with a 16-year-old prostitute -- a sad, lost creature who will affect Hans' life forever.

Peter Ustinov's brilliant collection of short stories.

Peter Ustinov was famous for his many talents but it was his skill as a storyteller that stood out above all else. Life is an Operetta is a delightful collection containing nine stunning examples of Ustinov's narrative gift.The title story illustrates beautifully Ustinov's ability to weave pointed observations into his fiction. "Life is an Operetta" features a young woman, Mitzi, who is obsessed with the stage but poor at choosing lovers, so much so that the one man who can provide her with security and support is the one who is always left behind.Readers are offered a tour of the old country and an education in European tradition as the locations of the stories range from Australia, through Spain and France, to the Italian railway carriage of "God and the State Railways," while the characters are equally varied in personality and social status. Combining Ustinov's telling wit and deep understanding of human frailty, Life is an Operetta sparkles with keen perception and a storyteller's delight in presenting well-crafted tales. Also included are "The Frontiers of the Sea," "The Swiss Watch," "Dreams of Papua," "The Assassins," "The Gift of a Dog," "The Silken Dagger," and the tale of a man lost in his own homeland, "The Loneliness of Billiwoonga."