Anekdot query

[John Dunn]

I always thought that the heaven and hell joke originated in the corridors of Versailles during the peace negotiations after World War I.  The key point in all versions (that I have heard) is that in hell the British have to be the cooks and the Germans the police.    

Meanwhile those with an interest in the invention of tradition may be interested to read the following:

http://www.newsru.com/russia/25jan2009/tt.html

John Dunn.

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Berry <M.J.BERRY.RUS at BHAM.AC.UK>
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:42:21 +0000
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Anekdot query

The elephant joke is much earlier than the 1980s - I heard it in in Moscow in 1961.
I don't think the heaven and hell one is a genuine Russian joke.
Another one I heard in 1961 starts off 
one Englishman is a gentleman;
two Englishmen make a club;
Three Englishmen make a government .
and goes though various other nationalities and ends up
One Russian is a fool;
Two Russians make a queue;
Three Russians make a primary party group.
One Georgian is a leader (Stalin)
Two Georgians make a government (Stalin and Beria)
Three Georgians ...Thank God, there have never been three Georgians so far...
Is this the sort of anecdote you want for your class??
Best wishes,
Mike Berry
Honorary Senior Research Fellow,
Centre for Russian and East European Studies,
University of Birmingham,
Birmingham B15 2TT


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John Dunn
Honorary Research Fellow, SMLC (Slavonic Studies)
University of Glasgow, Scotland

Address:
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Tel.: +39 051/1889 8661
e-mail: J.Dunn at slavonic.arts.gla.ac.uk
johnanthony.dunn at fastwebnet.it

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