The Swan Song of A.J. Wentworth

The last of the humorous fictional memoirs of a hapless assistant schoolmaster. It is to be A.J. Wentworth’s final appearance on the scholastic scene. Once more he dons his cap and gown
or, to be more precise, Rawlinson’s cap and gown
and returns to Burgrove for just one more time. His final term includes a brief but broadening visit to the United States, in addition to the usual intellectual cut and thrust of the classroom. Whether he’s causing a stir on Fifth Avenue, or merely ‘trying to knock a bit of sense into a bunch of thick-headed boys,’ A.J. Wentworth fumbles, blusters and generally carries on. A classic comic study in blinkered English manners, the Wentworth Papers will delight fans of P.G. Wodehouse or Grossmiths’ Mr Pooter. First introduced to readers in the pages of Punch magazine, it was later dramatised for both BBC Radio and ITV drama. AUTHOR: Humphry Francis Ellis became Literary and Deputy Editor of Punch magazine in 1949, a post which he held until 1953. During this period he developed the character of A.J. Wentworth, inspired by his experience as a schoolmaster. He was also a regular contributor to the New Yorker.