I am currently taking a Writing in Comedy and Humor class to round up my senior year.  The assigned readings for this class are in no way the type of “homework” one avoids.  I feel like I’ve cheated some type of system by taking this class—getting a good grade for reading David Sedaris is just amazing.

Unsurprisingly, I have learned a lot about writing comedy in the first six weeks of class.  One reading assignment was too good to not share.  In the 1970s, Don Novello starting writing letters to famous people in politics and corporate executive positions under the pen name “Lazlo Toth.”  Novello was best known for his time spent as “Father Guido Sarducci” on Saturday Night Live.

The Lazlo letters are downright hilarious.  Novello purposely brought up mundane misconstrued facts and inside jokes within the text of his letters.  It was customary for corporations and politicians to respond back to every letter that they receive, so Novello had a follow-up to each letter.  The letters were later published in a book, The Lazlo Letters.

I haven’t read the whole book, but here’s a link to some of the letters read in class.  Humor like this is a rare find nowadays.

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