Серия книг «The Xenophobe's Guides» — 8 книг

The Chinese are inordinately proud of having invented, among a whole host of other things, the compass (without which the world would have got lost), paper (without which books would not exist), the printing press (ditto), porcelain (no pretty matching chinaware), silk (no decadence), pasta (what would the Italians eat?), the wheelbarrow (how would civilisation have fared without it?) and the bristle toothbrush.

A guide to understanding the Chinese which dispels or confirms preconceived prejudices with humor and insight.

The Chinese are inordinately proud of having invented, among a whole host of other things, the compass (without which the world would have got lost), paper (without which books…

A guide to understanding the Canadians which shows the quirks of personality that set them apart from their neighbours to the south in the United States of America.

A guide to understanding the Welsh that explores their nature and outlook with benevolence and humour.

The Welsh are stubborn—very, very stubborn. The Welsh themselves would probably rather say “tenacious,” but to anyone on the receiving end a better description might well be “bloody-minded.”

Proud and proud of it
Welsh pride is real pride—the sort of mindless, instinctive, animal pride that requires no justification or excuse. It is simply pride for the sake of pride. Such pride is the only thing one has left when one has been stripped of everything else.

It's not unusual to be . . . an actor
Given the propensity of Welsh people of all types to overact at every given opportunity, it is not surprising that those who manage to tone it down a bit have gone on to world fame as actors (or politicians, who are, after all, only an inferior species of actors).

Warriors at heart
The Welsh are extremely proficient at rugby. They enjoy it and they take it seriously. This is because rugby—with its physical aggression, tactics, disciplined use of brute force, and organized violence—is the closest thing modern day life can offer to Wales' traditional national sport: war.

A guide to understanding the Welsh that explores their nature and outlook with benevolence and humour.

The Welsh are stubborn—very, very stubborn. The Welsh themselves would…

Mountain mentality
Swiss farmers are tough, independent, hard-working, resilient, well-prepared for every kind of natural disaster, and above all staunchly conservative. These characteristics have been passed on to Swiss town-dwellers, who go about their day as if they too were farming a lonely mountain cliff.

We can do better
The Swiss stubbornly refuse to believe they are doing well and will even dispute the figures that prove it. So, like the poor donkey chasing the carrot, they pull their collective cart along ever faster, chasing the goal they passed years ago.

Peak performers
The perceptions of the Swiss being dull, staid, and boring while at the same time displaying a talent for ruthless efficiency and a limitless capacity for hard work are uncomfortably close to the truth. Likewise the clichéd impressions of high mountains, watches, cheese, chocolate bars, and gold bars are genuine.

Degrees of unease
The diversity of the Swiss is apparent in the degree to which they worry. The German-speakers do little else. The French-speaking Swiss are great visionaries and philosophers with noble thoughts and global dreams. They worry that their Swiss-German compatriots do not share these dreams. The Italian-speaking Swiss are less interested in the solid values of work and have a terrible tendency not to worry nearly enough.

Mountain mentality
Swiss farmers are tough, independent, hard-working, resilient, well-prepared for every kind of natural disaster, and above all staunchly conservative. These…

Soulful sadness
A common trait among Swedish people is a deeply felt svårmod, a dark melancholy born out of long winters, high taxes, and a sense of being stuck far out on a geo-political and socio-economic limb. They brood a lot over the meaning of life in a self-absorbed sort of way without ever arriving at satisfactory answers.

Love all
The Swedes indulge in sport for leisure and sex for pleasure. Some people treat sex as a sport in order to combine leisure with pleasure, and thus save time and energy.

Nurture nature
The Swedes have a dream: to save Nature from Man. This is more than just a vision—it's as close to a passion as the Swedes ever get.

Net loss
Becoming rich in Sweden has never been easy. As Ingmar Bergman found out, even millionaires can have difficulties making ends meet when income tax is levied at 102%.

Soulful sadness
A common trait among Swedish people is a deeply felt svårmod, a dark melancholy born out of long winters, high taxes, and a sense of being stuck far out on a…

Fun in the sun: Anyone attempting to understand the Spanish must first of all recognize the fact that they do not consider anything important except total enjoyment. If it is not enjoyable it will be ignored.
You can't buy happiness: The happiness of the individual is considered to be much more important than money. The goatherd who strolls the countryside with his animals breathing in the fresh air and loving his problem-less life is much more admired than the wealthy industrialist who hasn't time to enjoy life and spends quite a lot of his earnings on medicines to calm his peptic ulcers.
Sexplicit: In Spain lust is ever in the air. There is nothing about the Spanish appreciation of sex that is inhibited or restrained. It is accepted that both men and women love making love, which is why there are very few sexual crimes in the country.

Fun in the sun: Anyone attempting to understand the Spanish must first of all recognize the fact that they do not consider anything important except total enjoyment. If it is not…

What makes the Albanians ALBANIAN: A witty guide to the airs and affectations that affirm the Albanian attitude. The tongue in cheek titled Xenophobe s Guide to the Albanians is an amusing, fond look at the particular idiosyncrasies of Albanian cultural life. It s an often ironic and humorous take on such serious matters as nationalism, identity and law and order. This intelligent and comprehensive book is well worth a read.

What makes the Albanians ALBANIAN: A witty guide to the airs and affectations that affirm the Albanian attitude. The tongue in cheek titled Xenophobe s Guide to the Albanians is…

What makes Brazilians BRAZILIAN: A witty guide to the beliefs and behaviour that define the Brazilians.