Φυρμός πράγματα που ανακαλύπτεις σε ένα σαββατοκύριακο (2)

The Yellow Book of President Kyprianou

«While everyone knows the Little Red Book of Mao, nobody has ever heard of Ming ta Kao, the book containing the thoughts of Chu Yuan-chang, founder of the Ming Dynasty. The possession and study of the Ming ta Kao (Great Ming Edict) was compulsory for all subjects of the empire: each family had to have a copy. Since the population was then around 80 million, the Ming ta Kao remained for a long time one of the most widely distributed books in the world.

This enormous distribution however, as Simon Leys writes in his “Chinese Shadows”, “did not prevent its almost complete disappearance. Today the Ming ta Kao is a very rare curiosity, eagerly sought by bibliophiles.”

Today almost nobody in China has heard of the Ming ta Kao. In all bookshops I visited in Peking none knew of Chu Yuan-chang’s book.

Besides the Little Red Book of Mao we had during the last few years similar books, in which are concentrated the thoughts and wisdom of contemporary leaders. It is interesting to note that in all these books there is a messianic message. The thoughts concentrated in these books belong to men, who are not simply heads of government in their countries. More than this they are Messiahs who have the ambition to lead their people or peoples to eternal salvation.

Such books which contain the wisdom of their Leaders are the Green Book of Muammar Al Gadafi and the Little Green Book of Ayatolla Khomeini.»

(θα διερωτάστε, τι σκατά αντιγράφω τόση ώρα.)

….

«It is however too late for a Little Black Book of Makarios. Instead, we decided to publish the Little Yellow Book of Kyprianou, the present Leader of Cyprus who carries on the work of the Great Leader.

We called it Yellow for a very simple reason; There already exists a Little Red Book, the one by Mao. Of Green books we have two – from Gadafi and the Ayatolla. Black would be the only possibility for Makario’s Book. We are thus left with two colours: blue and yellow. We went for the latter because of the yellow of the Cyprus flag.

The Little Book of Kyprianou should enter into all Cypriot homes. Every family should have its own copy in the same way that every Chinese family had its own copy of the Ming ta Kao. If we ever come to have our own Yellow Guards then they will also have something to wave in the air at their rallies, meetings and parades.

Though the Ming ta Kao did not endure the passing of centuries, we are certain that the Little Yellow Book of Kyprianou, the very quintessence of the wisdom of a great and magnificent people, will last forever.»

…. (φυρτείτε –από τα γέλια- με την ησυχία σας)

Λοιπόν, υπάρχει αυτό το μικρό κίτρινο βιβλίο (edition 1981)… Και έχω ένα copy του… και είναι HI-LA-RIOUS…

Είναι νομίζω η καλύτερη σάτιρα που διάβασα τον τελευταίο καιρό. Αν ΔΕΝ προοριζόταν για σάτιρα, ακόμα καλύτερα.