Oval Books: 25 books

Straight laced and straight faced A good Kiwi bloke plays things down and does not stand on ceremony. The rugby player who scores a try is no longer expected to look as if he is bravely accepting a death sentence but, other than in sport, emotion is not something to be shown in public, and...

Go beyond the etiquette to uncover the real nature of the people of the rising sun.   "The quintessence of unspoken mutual understanding is to be found in the word yoroshiku: 'You have understood what I want you to do. I have understood that you have understood what I want you...

All roads lead to Czechia The Czechs seem to believe that the Earth is the center of the Universe, Europe is the centre of the Earth, and Czechia is at the centre of Europe.   Reality Czechs The ability to put up with a situation adjusting as needs must has been elevated...

"France is a country that eats, drinks and breathes philosophy. There is not a farmer, fisherman, waiter, car-worker, shop assistant or housewife who isn't a closet Diderot or Descartes, a Saint-Simon or a Sartre." "French politicians look smart because power itself is chic,...

The fabric of society The nation aspires towards a “cultural mosaic,” something like a patchwork quilt, whereas Americans have aimed for the “melting pot.” Canadians are essentially practical, and have figured out that the bat-brained idea of a melting pot would simply never work in a...

The couth truth A popular perception of the Irish is that they're all fiery, freckle-faced red-heads who'll start a fight at the slightest offence (e.g., being called British). The bit about the freckles is accurate enough, but the typical Irish person has brown hair and blue eyes. And while...

Welsh willfulness 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...

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

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

Teutonic torment In every German there is a touch of the wild-haired Beethoven striding through forests and weeping over a mountain sunset, grappling against impossible odds to express the inexpressible. This is the Great German Soul, prominent display of which is essential whenever Art, Feeling,...

La Dolce Vita The Italians live life to the fullest, and do not feel in the least bit guilty leading a life of leisure and pleasure 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. This is what life is all about: Italians do not live to work, they work to live.   Achoo Brute? The...

A guide to understanding the Spanish that views them with the same light-hearted attitude that they themselves display in life.   Extracts from the book Fun in the sun: Anyone attempting to understand the Spanish must first of all recognize the fact that they do not consider anything...

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...

Two adjectives from their own form of the English language haunt the Scots. One is 'pawky', the other is 'dour'. The pawky Scot is a person with a droll grin and a wisecrack to accompany it. The dour Scot is a person with a grim expression, a grim mind, and a grim turn of phrase to accompany it. It...