In this hilarious and moving book, popular English humorist Miles Kington faces cancer and death with his sparkling trademark wit, musing on everything from board games and yodeling to the prospect of being outlived by his dog.
When some people are told they have only a few months to live, they might travel around the world or write their memoirs or put their affairs in order. When it happened at the age of 66 to Miles Kington-one of England's best-loved humorists-he did what he did best, offering sharp, wry, laugh-out-loud observations and ideas about his situation. Following his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, Kington proposes crazier and crazier ideas for his next book (what he calls cashing in on cancer) in a series of letters to his
literary agent, Gill.
And what sort of things capture Kington's attention in his waning months? The sudden grimness of those 1,000 Places to See Before You Die books, for example. (What about 100 Things to Do Before You Die, Without Leaving Home?, he suggests. Instead of bungee jumping and whitewater rafting, learn to whistle with two fingers in your mouth, yodel, or steam open envelopes.) The irony that his dog, Berry, will probably outlive him, or the semi-outrageous idea of creating a funeral video:
The answer is quite simple.
Make a video in advance of my farewell speech, to be shown on a monitor, from the pulpit, or on a screen behind the stage, or wherever the best place would be.
I have already visualised the opening shot.
It is of me, smiling ruefully, and saying to camera: Hello. I'm sorry I couldn't be here in person with you today.
Mischievous and utterly original, MilesKington's words in the face of death are memorable and surprisingly uplifting.
Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Written as a series of fictional letters to his agent and friend, Gill, proposing the book he has more or less written, late British humorist Kington (1941-2008) offers a witty, bittersweet slice of meta-nonfiction about his struggle with pancreatic cancer-or, more precisely, his struggle to write a book about it: phrases like 'cashing in on cancer' give quite the wrong impression. What I mean is, 'making cancer work for its living.' One letter is devoted to a list of cancer IFAQs, or Infrequently Asked Questions-what you wouldn't know to ask and wouldn't like the answers to besides-in which Kington gets wrapped up in ideas of denial (more like cold-shouldering?) and astrology. Another responds to bestseller 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, which he calls grimly prescient and nasty; he proposes a more practical volume like A Hundred Things to Do Before You Die, with simpler goals like whistling loudly. And, inevitably, he considers the question of his healthy 10-year-old springer spaniel, who has at least five years on Kington. Throughout the goofy proceedings, Kington remains tuned to his condition but focuses on his relationships and life story, sparing much of the harsh physical reality; perhaps more stirring in omission, Kington writes around the pain to produce a touching, funny and life-affirming look at death.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Kington, Miles

Newmarket Pictorial Moviebooks

Newmarket Shooting Scripts

United States, United States of America

First Edition, 2009

[curator]lenscriv@archive.org[/curator][date]20180904194150[/date]

Includes index.

When British humorist Kington was diagnosed with late-stage cancer at the age of 66, he decided to treat the news like he treats other thoughts running around in his brain: with a book. But he wasn't sure just what kind of book to write: Should it be a "how to survive the bad news" type, or maybe the "what I did with my remaining days/weeks/months" type, or even the "what your body goes through when you have cancer" type? What eventually evolved was a book of letters to his agent exploring just these very questions, putting the reader in the here-and-now as Kington visits myriad doctors, talks to his family and friends, considers which celebrities he might like to murder, and generally goes about his daily life as a writer contemplating his final days. Remarkably, the tenor remains light, even during his most difficult times. Gallows humor may be the most difficult kind of comedy, as it's designed to make the audience uncomfortable. Kington somehow makes it work. Copyright 2009 Booklist Reviews

In this hilarious and moving book, popular English humorist Miles Kington faces cancer and death with his sparkling trademark wit, musing on everything from board games and yodeling to the prospect of being outlived by his dog. When some people are told they have only a few months to live, they might travel around the world or write their memoirs or put their affairs in order. When it happened at the age of 66 to Miles Kington & mdash;one of England's best-loved humorist & mdash;he did what he did best, offering sharp, wry, laugh-out-loud observations and ideas about his situation. Following his d

In this risible and moving book, popular English humorist Miles Kington faces pancreatic cancer and death with his sparkling trademark wit, musing on the prospect of being outlived by his dog.

2023-06-28