You can imagine how my ears perked up when the fictional character of a consul appeared Season 9, episode 2, of Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO). How was Larry David going to deal with this person? Was he going to (incorrectly) … Continue reading →
In my previous posts (and more extensively in chapter The Tiff over Titles in my book) I have written about the many confusing titles that consular officials may claim. All this makes for interesting (and fun!) social and official situations to … Continue reading →
When I gathered all my notes for my consular reference book a couple of my beta-readers commented, “Why so much emphasis on titles?” This led me to repeat the commonly-stated explanation of how people in distinguished positions — think judges, politicians … Continue reading →
“Well-written and lively, offering an engaging way to learn about the sometimes perplexing world of foreign consulates.” These words follow a very laudatory review by the professionals at Kirkus, a prestigious magazine of book reviews that’s distributed to book buyers at … Continue reading →
The word Consul holds a special meaning to a lot of people. To some it’s a title that’s so prestigious that the holder of it should be approached with due respect for the position he holds. For others, it’s some … Continue reading →
Consul, honorable honoree? That’s the question for today. When a friend showed me instructions for a certain consulate headed by an honorary consul, the head of that post was referred to as honoree consul. This makes no sense in that context. A … Continue reading →
Consulin? Imagine being the wife of a consul and getting your own title, feminized from your husband’s position. Thomas Mann, Nobel-prize winning author of Buddenbrooks, writes about how in 19th century Luebeck, Germany, the surviving wife of a consul was … Continue reading →
When President Obama referred to the “Corpsmen” (very much alive and kicking) he used the pronunciation for a dead body: “corpse” with the hard p and s (notice the e in the end). What a great teaching moment this is for all … Continue reading →