The Penguin Book of Canadian Jokes

Once again, Colombo offers a purely Canadian collection of comic and clever stories that illustrate the basic nature of Canada -- something borrowed, something blue, something used and something new. John Robert Colombo is a gem, a national treasure, the ultimate Canadian. As a native Orillian, long familiar with Brewery Bay, Stephen Leacock and the Sinking of the Mariposa Belle, I grew up assuming Canadians could always see the funny side of life. By the time I was in my teens, I knew the first question everyone asks in Canada: "Is this how it's done in the States?" Thus, "Canadian Jokes." Many are pure Canadianisms, a delight to read. Some are pure Americanisms, with only the names changed to label a new crowd of miscreants. Obviously, comic situations apply in every society. Canadian politicians, like all their brethren, are as absurd as Colombo adroitly illustrates when he cites "fuddle duddle" as the most famous words ever said by Canada's longest serving Prime Minister. But then, what else can you expect from a Quebec politician whose parents had the wit to so name him so that his initials were "pet"? Humour, by Canadian definition, is the kindly contemplation of the incongruities of life and the artistic expression thereof. It leaves Canada, a country located next to a rich, powerful and arrogant society, with much the same humour as the Czechs -- clever instead of crudely insulting or offensive. Americans love the humour of an offensive or challenging insult; Canadian humour tends to focus on incongruities rather than incontinence or flatulence. American humour is blunt, like most American attitudes to most everything; British humour is based on clever word-play, reflecting the erudition of a class-conscious society; Canadian humour is subtle, more in the style of Leacock than Lenny Bruce. Colombo expresses the mood of Canadioan humour well. It's a marvelous collection, from instant laughs to well-aimed barbs to clever essays. Leacock would be amused, Colombo is a gem and Canada can be funny once people stop asking, "Is this how it's done in the States?"