1. My Uncle Oswald by R. Dahl
Even the most famous men had genitalia and they had also probably engaged in coitus once on a while (or perhaps more often). Roald Dahl builds a whole story around this subject by introducing the predecessor of a sperm bank.
A man called Oswald Hendryks Cornelius is a typical skirt-chaser, a rather successful one. He has obtained considerable wealth via dubious schemes and has many weird hobbies, such as scorpions or Chinese porcelain.
Oswald partners with Yasmin Howcomely, a women whose greatest asset is her irresistible beauty. They come up with the strongest aphrodisiac in the world, place it in chocolate candy, collect sperm of important men (Picasso, Freud, Shaw, even Einstein) and then sell it to desirous women.
Sounds like erotic literature? No need to worry, it indeed sticks mostly to the humorous part, and, while it's hardly recommendable for children, it has nothing to do with pornography.
2. Servant of Two Masters by C. Goldoni
I'd feel ashamed, if I forgot to mention this aged classic. The scene is set to Venice in the middle of 18th century. Apart from women pretending to be men or entwind character relations like in a soap opera, this masterpiece is focused on a man named Truffaldino.
He is far from being the best servant of all times; his largest drawback is his permanently hungry stomach. He takes the opportunity and becomes a servant for two masters at once, just to "get an extra dinner".
Truffaldino then tries to conceal his twisted allegiance which results in many funny situations - such as both masters being at the same banquet, temporary stuttering or being handed stuff "for his master", although Truffaldino has no idea for which master exactly.
Everything works out fine in the end, Truffaldino is even forgiven and gets to marry a woman he falls in love with. Although Servant of Two Masters is probably best to be seen in the theater, reading it is also a good alternative.
3. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by D. Adams
Douglas Adams came up with another sci-fi and humorous literature. His Detective Agency is quite congeneric to the Hitchhiker's Guide. You will face the same absurdity, same interesting plot and a very similar type of humor.
Dirk Gently runs a detective agency, specializing in missing cats and ugly divorces. He gets involved in a messy affair, something related to creation of humanity, Salaxalan ghost, time travel... all the usual stuff.
The plot is far from being linear and it might take some time before you catch up - but when you do, you won't stop until the book is finished. And spend a considerable time laughing during the process...
4. Little Nicholas by R. Goscinny
Do you remember the times when you were little? How different was your perception of the world? Goscinny evidently did, thus he wrote a series of 7 books around a little boy and his friends.
Nicholas has several friends with whom he faces the struggles of childhood:
- Alec, the fat one
- Eddie, the strong one
- Cuthbert, the nerd
- Max, the fast one
- ...and several more
Other major characters are the teacher, occasionally some parents or the superintendent Mr. Dubon. Nicholas and his "gang" always mean well, but it often turns out in a different way than they originally intended.
For example, in one story the children decide to play soccer, but are offended by older pupils. They then decide to resolve their issues on the pitch and ask their fathers for help - a crucial mistake, because the fathers eventually take over and play the match by themselves.
Little Nicolas can be read over and over again thanks to its simplicity, great flow of text and endlessly amusing stories. You can give it to your children and steal it afterward, because these adventures are for children and adults alike.
5. The World of Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
English aristocracy has been a popular topic for stories almost since the beginning of time. It also gave birth to Jeeves, a super-chamberlain of a young gentleman named Wooster.
Jeeves is the kind of man who knows his place in this world and is more than an expert in his field. Do you need to express your feelings towards a lady, or on the other hand stay away from an undesirable mate? Jeeves will find a way.
Sir Wodehouse produced a humorous masterpiece around a mutually beneficial allegiance of a somewhat inept lord and his skillful servant. If you read closely enough, you may see some indications that the World of Jeeves is somehow an accusation of nobility for leading such empty lives.
Conclusion
Again, there are far more pieces of literature and we could spend hundreds of hours thoroughly debating what should have I included in the list and why I didn't. I therefore encourage you to read as much humorous literature as you can in order to have a big laugh - and you can bet we need as much laughter as possible in our lives.
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