Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander McCall Smith

Is there anything funny about German professors? Throughout the world there are small groups of people who know exactly what the joke is. These are the von Igelphiles, the followers of that most extraordinary German professor, Professor Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld.

This book is a series of short stories that based on the experiences of Professor Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, who is a professor of philology and author of the impressive tome, Portuguese Irregular Verbs, which given it's size has had a variety of uses, including as a step stool for a dentist. With only 200 copies sold, the professor is constantly on the lookout to see if he can find out who among his learned colleagues and friends actually bought a copy.

As with all Alexander McCall Smith books they are a comedy of manners. For example, how do you address a dog when you have just met it, how exactly do you tell a mother that her son might be radioactive?

I actually listened to this book. The audio book was narrated by Hugh Laurie which I am sure added to my enjoyment completely. Whilst the short stories themselves were amusing, I have no doubt that the comic voices and timing of Laurie added an extra level of enjoyment. I guess I will find out when I read the second book in the series!

Rating: 4/5