P.G. Wodehouse's wit didn't spare many targets—including himself. The immortal Bertie Wooster skewered his creator’s own craft with the pronouncement that "every journalist who is unable to make the grade drops down a rung of the ladder and writes novels.” Wodehouse, a one-time journalist who interviewed the likes of Arthur Conan Doyle, proved to be rather top-notch at novel writing, securing a knighthood and the status as one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century.
Wodehouse’s most famous novels and stories are revered for the banter between the endearingly dim Bertie and his unflappable, all-knowing manservant Jeeves (“There are moments, Jeeves, when one asks oneself, ‘Do trousers matter?’” “The mood will pass, sir.”) as well as his depictions of the comic chaos of life at Blandings Castle. His own life, however, took a dark turn during WWII when he was swept into a German internment camp while living in Paris and later faced accusations of treason for broadcasting on a German radio station. Eventually he was seen as a dupe, not a traitor, but the accusation wounded him and he never returned to England.
Explore the life and art of Wodehouse, one of the great comic writers of all time, with author Daniel Stashower and actor Scott Sedar, who offers readings from some of Wodehouse’s most memorable works. Then raise a toast in celebration of the author, keeping in mind Wodehouse's sage advice: “Sober or blotto, this is your motto: Keep muddling through.”
