Porterhouse Blue (1974)

Hilarisch! Er is maar één woord voor dit boek. ( )

Porterhouse, the college in which this comic novel is set, bears more than a nominal resemblance to a certain real Cambridge college counterpart. Anyone who has studied, or is studying, at Cambridge, either at graduate or undergraute level, should get hold of this book now, and place it at the top of their pile of books to read.
I haven't read a funnier book since Evelyn Waugh's Black Mischief, which I consider to be the best comic novel I have read. What is great about Porterhouse Blue is nearly everything, the plot, the piercing satire, the set piece events, the charicatures, and the exquisite farce. The book was written in the seventies, and is about an old-fashioned college that is set in its ways, which the new master is trying to reform. This is met with resistance by the fellows, with the subsequent goings-on, blunders, and scheming, making up the bulk of the plot. Of course, the colleges now aren't quite like how Porterhouse is portrayed in the book, but they were, and the vestiges of what is described by this book, in many of them, remain. What some of the best parts of the book owe their humour to is absurdity, but this absurdity never goes beyond what is believable, at a stretch, and what one could imagine taking place under the circumstances. The characters, despite being somewhat exaggerated, are still believably human, and it is the ability of the reader to empathise with them, and their roles within the running farce, that contributes in part to what makes this book work. It is the Porter, who one would ordinarily pass by each day without giving much thought, who stars here. This shows the reader what goes on in the parts of the college which an undergraduate would not normally see. It is predominantly about those who are senior members of the college, in positions of authority and responsibility - those who are in charge of the smooth daily running. The fact they are the ones who are subject to the ridiculous circumstances makes this all the funnier. ( )

Thirty years on this novel still seemed as funny as it was when I first read it.
Porterhouse is one of the oldest of the Cambridge colleges, though its reputation is more for brawn than brain - while its students have dominated competition on the river they have fared increasing poorly in the examination hall. Now, in the mid 1970s and following the Fellows' failure to elect one themselves a new Master has been imposed by the Prime Minister in his capacity as The Visitor. His selection is Sir Godber Evans, a troublesome junior minister who is also an alumnus of the ollege. However, his time there was unhappy as he did not originate from the same wealthy background as most of his fellow students, who looked down upon him as a consequence. Now he sees his chance for revenge, and pledges to modernise the College and render it an egalitarian meritocracy. complete with female students (and Fellows!) and a condom dispenser!!!
Sir Godber finds rigid competition from the incumbent Fellows, but also from Skullion, the College's Head Porter. Though Skullion had never himself enjoyed the privileges and advantages espoused by generations of students of Porterhouse, his loyalty to the College (for whom he has worked for more than forty years) is absolute! However, he is soon to find tht that loyalty may well have been misplaced.
Meanwhile research student Zipser is beset by a powerful, indeed almost irresistible desire for his bedder, with disastrous consequences (which include the entirely unforeseen outcome of his attempt to dispose of 250 condoms).
Farcical, ridiculous and utterly entertaining! ( )

Great read. I must read his other books

The portrayal of Skullion is magnificent, and the plot is very funny. Even so, I find it slightly unpleasant to read in that Sharpe seems positively to dislike almost all his characters. ( )