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Craig Brown is a genius

The British master of literary parody, Craig Brown – who lives in my old stamping ground of Suffolk – had this absolute blinder of a sendup of the whole, ghastly Prince Diana industry of ropey biographies and kiss-and-tell stories that cropped up after she was killed in that Paris car crash almost 10 years ago (I remember the headlines the following day so clearly, I cannot believe 10 frickin’ years have elapsed).

Here’s a sample of Brown in action:

A forthcoming book, Diana Ablaze (HarperCollins), carries an interview with an unnamed “highly placed” eyewitness to the blaze at Windsor Castle who claims to have spotted Princess Diana skulking in the shadows with a packet of Zip firelighters peeping out of her top pocket.

I nearly spilled my coffee all over the desk at that one.

I can also recommend this for students of history with a twist.

2 comments to Craig Brown is a genius

  • Beth

    I still haven’t quite recovered from this one , from nearly two months ago.

  • Paul Marks

    Better than the unintentionally funny Andrew O’Hagen with his heil Diana article in yestersday’s Daily Telegraph – the standard boiler plate about how the noble Diana brought the Royals into the modern world as can be seen by the young Princes love of pop music (and on and on).

    My sense of humour is different to yours. Actually I would rather hear from Andrew O’Hagen than Craig Brown – as long as what I was hearing was Mr O’Hagen’s screams and groans and then eternal silence.