Viva la Repartee is a celebration of clever comebacks and witty replies from some of history's most quick-witted people. After the success of Oxymoronica, my publisher asked if I could quickly follow up with another book. Viva la Repartee is the result.
The book contains over 600 examples of repartee, and the often fascinating stories behind them. All of the usual suspects have been rounded up, like Winston Churchill's famous reply to Nancy Astor ("And if you were my wife, I'd drink it!") and Groucho Marx's legendary quip to a man who said he had ten children because he loved his wife ("I love my cigar, but I take it out of my mouth every now and then"). You'll also find wonderful ripostes and rejoinders from Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Mae West, Dorothy Parker, Dolly Parton, and many, many others.
The book also features many fabulous, but little-known, replies, like the spectacular remark that actor Christopher Reeve made one night to host James Lipton on the Bravo TV program "Inside the Actor's Studio." When Reeve was asked what it was liked to have acted with Katharine Hepburn, he delighted the audience with his reply:
People say I acted with Katharine Hepburn. The truth is I acted near Katharine Hepburn.
Even though I've been interested in repartee for more than forty years, I only began to systematically collect examples of such wit-under-pressure about ten years ago. I've found them in books, magazines, newspapers, films, and television programs. Many were described—often with great relish—at cocktail parties and in personal conversations. As friends and colleagues learned about my project, they began to tell me their favorites. As my collection of comebacks grew into the thousands, I began organizing them into categories (political, literary, sports, etc.).
The target audience for the book has always been perfectly clear to me: it's for people who enjoy great wit and wordplay, especially when the cleverness is displayed under pressure or when the chips are down. If this description fits you, I think you'll enjoy the book. If you know such a person, it could be the perfect gift.
Before Viva la Repartee was published, we sent bound galleys to a number of luminaries in the "word and language" community. Happily, a number of people that I deeply respect said they really liked the book. Here are some of the "blurbs" they wrote, all of which appear on the flap copy of the book:
A glittering display of comebacks and put-downs from the funniest people on earth. On every page you'll think: 'I wish I had said that.' Next time I'm insulted, I'll be ready.
—Robert Byrne, compiler of The 2,548 Best Things Anybody Ever Said
This is truly the definitive collection of putdowns—a dazzling array of ripostes and rejoinders, of badinage and bon mots.
—A. Ross Eckler, author of Making the Alphabet Dance
If words could be weapons, this book is a collection of weapons of mass delectation. Everyone deserves a copy of this entertaining compendium in their literary arsenal. Mardy Grothe has brought together some of the finest examples of wit from human history in this delightful collection.
—Anu Garg, author of A Word a Day
Viva la Repartee is a spectacular feast of the most brilliant retorts and wittiest zingers ever delivered. This hilarious and literate book overflows with classic stories I've been quoting for years, along with many terrific anecdotes I had never before encountered. That Mardy Grothe has collected them for the first time in a single entertaining and enlightening volume is an occasion for rejoicing.
—Don Hauptman, author of Cruel and Unusual Puns and Acronymania
Mardy exquisite collection of retorts, ripostes, and rebuffs celebrates language in its most clever, precise, and hilarious form.
—Richard Lederer, author of Anguished English
Viva la Repartee isn't guaranteed to make you wittier, but it certainly wouldn't hurt! It's a must for anyone who loves a quick word from a quick wit.
—Erin McKean, editor of Verbatim magazine
I don't know about you, but I hate to buy a book without perusing the table of contents. If you're similarly inclined, this should help:
Introduction