Welcome to the final installment of our latest Tale for Our Time - P G Wodehouse's adventure into media and mobsters in pre-Great War New York, Psmith, Journalist.
After last night's accompanying illustration, Steyn Clubber Martha, from the beautiful British Columbian capital of Victoria, found herself wondering:
Is that pppppptarmigan mocking Biden and his orthopaedic boot?
Very much enjoying Psmith's adventures. Thank you Mark.!
We trust no dreary contemporary political resonances can be drawn from tonight's photograph, Martha. Thank you for your kind words, but, alas, all good things must end. Tonight's concluding episode of Psmith, Journalist begins with the final showdown between our hero and a graft-addicted New York Alderman-to-be:
There was a knock at the door, and Master Maloney entered with a card.
"Guy's waiting outside," he said.
"Mr. Stewart Waring," read Psmith. "Comrade Maloney, do you know what Mahomet did when the mountain would not come to him?"
"Search me," said the office-boy indifferently.
"He went to the mountain. It was a wise thing to do. As a general rule in life you can't beat it. Remember that, Comrade Maloney."
"Sure," said Pugsy. "Shall I send the guy in?"
It's a long time since I heard anyone use the old if-the-mountain-won't-come-to-Mohammed line. I wonder if people are eschewing it for some or other reason. Be that as it may, members of The Mark Steyn Club can hear me read the conclusion of Psmith, Journalist simply by clicking here and logging-in. Earlier episodes can be found here.
Thank you so much for your compliments about Tales for Our Time during this time of lockdown and 'lections. Some like the ripping yarns for boys, some the more genteel social comedy for girls, and some of you even enjoyed our summer whimsy from yours truly. But of the tales in totality all seem to be in favor. Thank you too for your continued kind words about our Covid-spawned audio edition of The Mark Steyn Show, and its various features such as Last Call and The Hundred Years Ago Show.
If you enjoyed our time with Wodehouse in a darkish Gotham, I hope you'll join me next week for our annual Tales for Our Time Yuletide season. And, if you've yet to hear any of our Tales, you can enjoy the first three-and-a-half years' worth of audio adventures - by Conan Doyle, Kafka, Conrad, Gogol, Dickens, Baroness Orczy, Jack London, Louisa May Alcott, Robert Louis Stevenson and more - by joining The Mark Steyn Club. For details on membership, see here - and, if you're seeking the perfect Christmas present for a fellow fan of classic fiction, don't forget our Steyn Club Gift Membership. Sign up a pal today!
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7 Member Comments
Wow, what a story! What a character! I enjoyed it immensely. My first Wodehouse, and my pleasure in it was much magnified by Mark's reading of it. Just like I can't imagine reading Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy without visualizing Alec Guinness as Smiley, I can't imagine reading PSmith Journalist without hearing Mark's most enthusiastic rendition of Comrade Smith. Well done!
Thank you, Mark, for another enjoyable tale. I appreciated learning a little more about PG Wodehouse, and I marveled (again!) at your vocalizations of all the characters--truly delightful!
'Journalist' as advocate for Social Justice -- clean up that tenement building or else! -- also see Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and anything by the guy who wrote Grapes of Wrath, all trying to stir things up to help the little oppressed guy. How many books end with an unhinged rant that seems to go on for days and days? Justice! Does the story really end with Comrade Billy still behind bars? Nice...
Another excellent tale. I wonder what Wodehouse would have thought of Batman and his battles with Gotham's underworld.
Aw, pshucks! With the termination of this wonderful tale, I fear my morale will experience a Wodehousian metaphor from tonight's finale ... to "droop and fade away slowly like a neglected lily."
Aw pshaw!
The malaise which has overtaken me upon reaching the conclusion of Psmith, Journalist is partially assuaged by contemplating archives chock full of previous Tales yet to be enjoyed. Thank you, Mark.