Pistache Av Sebastian Faulks

<p><b>pistache</b> (pis-tash): a friendly spoof or parody of another''s work. [Deriv uncertain. Possibly a cross between pastiche and p**stake.] <br><br>From Thomas Hardy''s football report to Dan Brown''s visit to the cash dispenser, the work of the great and the not-so-great is here sent up with little hope of coming down. <br><br>Most of these pieces began their life on Radio Four''s <i>The Write Stuff</i>, but have been retooled for the printed page. Others, such as Martin Amis''s first day at Hogwarts, have been written specially for this collection. <br><br>Philip Larkin''s <i>Lines in Celebration of the Queen Mother''s 115th Birthday</i>, first banned, then cut by the BBC, appears in its entirety for the first time. <br><br>This is not a book for the faint-hearted or the downstairs lavatory. It is a book for the bedside table of someone you cannot live without.</p>