A book by Robert Urban
Wisecracker
A quick observation can get you into trouble. Writing it down gives the trouble a considerably longer shelf life.
About the book
Some things become funnier when you say them out loud.
Wisecracker brings together short-form comedy, observations and personal stories. The material begins with people doing the ordinary things people do, then pauses over the detail that makes the whole situation look a little different.
A familiar conversation. An awkward moment. An explanation that becomes less reassuring the longer it goes on. Everyday life provides plenty of these. Comedy begins when somebody notices the part everybody else was prepared to let slide.
This book belongs to the personal nonfiction side of my writing. The humor comes with a person attached to it, including his blind spots. If you enjoy a writer who is willing to be implicated in his own observations, you are in the right place.
The observation is only the beginning.
A joke can be over as soon as you hear it. A story gives it somewhere to live. Wisecracker sits in that space between a quick laugh and the longer recognition of a situation you know entirely too well.
The appeal of observational comedy is wonderfully democratic. You do not need an extraordinary life to recognize the material. You need to have dealt with other people, and occasionally with yourself. Most of us have accumulated enough experience in both departments.
For readers who notice the small things.
This is a good place to look if you enjoy conversational humor, personal anecdotes and a sharp eye for familiar behavior. It also makes a useful companion to Lick the Spoon for readers interested in comparing two collections by the same writer.
Reading with friends? Ask which detail made a situation feel real, which observation surprised you, and where the narrator’s own behavior became part of the comedy. The answers tend to say something about the reader, too.
Before you choose
A few reader questions.
What kind of book is Wisecracker?
It is a collection of observational humor and personal stories by Robert Urban.
Is Wisecracker connected to Lick the Spoon?
Both are Robert Urban humor collections. They are separate titles, and either can be your introduction to his writing.
Where can I find the book with the cow on the cover?
That is Wisecracker. The cover shown on this page matches the Amazon listing linked by the purchase buttons.
Meet the wisecracker.
See Wisecracker on Amazon for the editions and purchase options currently available.
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