British As A Second Language

David Bennun

Oct 2010 · Random House

About this ebook

David Bennun had lived in Africa his whole life. At the age of 18 he came to Britain, the mother country. The country he had read about in Punch magazine or seen in films like Chariots of Fire. He was in for a shock. A very big shock indeed: 'I could not have been less prepared had I spent my life up to that point listening to 30-year-old broadcasts of the Light Programme.'

In this timely follow-up to the critically acclaimed Tick Bite Fever, David Bennun shows us our own country through the eyes of an alien. With his brilliantly witty turn of phrase we follow his life as a student, his brushes with Bohemia, his troubles renting and buying property, his discovery of British food and his horrors at entering the world of work. From DIY to architecture, sport to alcohol, transport to music and entertainment, David Bennun brilliantly and with ruthless wit deconstructs all these subjects, many of them so dear to the British heart.

Ratings and reviews

Book was based more on drugs and music than culture. Writer failed his audience.

About the author

Born in Swindon in 1968, Dave Bennun's family moved to Africa in 1971. They lived there for the next 16 years. Since coming to the UK and 'studying' at the University of Sussex he has worked at Melody Maker and at Loaded. He is now freelance and writes for The Guardian, Observer, Mail on Sunday, Sunday Telegraph and GQ as well as co-writing three series of the successful BBC TV show Clarkson.