Sunday, June 06, 2010

Unprintably hilarious Hemingway

So the dude (Hemingway) decides to use 'unprintable' and 'obscenity' in stead of the actual obscenities in 'For whom the bell tolls'. (an old-fashioned way of going 'beeep' I suppose) But he could've been more clever about it like we are and used the first and last letters and inserted asterisks, the b*****d, but he wasn't clever enough to think of that. So the book, which is otherwise serious, now has funny bits like this:

"I know what it is for and so will you in time," Robert Jordan said. "But now we go to the camp."
"Go to the unprintable," Agustin said. "And unprint thyself. But do you want me to tell you something of service to you?"
"Yes," said Robert Jordan. "If it is not unprintable," naming the principal obscenity that had larded the conversation.


Another one:

"...But I would say one thing. Guard well thy explosive."
"Thank you," Robert Jordan said. "From thee?"
"No," Agustin said. "From people less unprintably equipped than I."
"So?" asked Robert Jordan.
"You understand Spanish," Agustin said seriously now. "Care well for thy unprintable explosive."
"Thank you."