Welcome to The Ironist

ISSN 2817-7363

The Ironist is dedicated to exploring irony wherever it occurs. We have a range of articles, stories and even book reviews which cover historical and contemporary life and events. We welcome you comments, support and submissions.

RETVRN to Casablanca

RETVRN to Casablanca

The inconvenient Liberalism of a "traditional" classic “I’ve often wondered why you don’t return to America.” When the French police chief says this to Rick, we learn he’s an exile. We never learn why, but we get hints of communist leanings. “You ran guns to Ethiopia....

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The Zambian Dream

The Zambian Dream

Kachingo Sondo is a corresponding freelancer originally from a village outside of Garampande, near Livingstone, Zambia. Zambian village, by Tom Chiponge, Pixaby Call me Phiri. I drive a taxi in Lusaka. That is, when I have money, I rent a taxi to try and make more...

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Air: The Fourth Elemental Ironist

Air: The Fourth Elemental Ironist

The final one in the Ironist series - air - the silent carrier of truth, lies, and everything in between. Today, we conclude the Ironist series on the fourth element - air. Invisible, omnipresent, and so essential. Moving through us without fanfare. We inhale it,...

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The Angel of the Archive: The Synod of the Left Shoe

The Angel of the Archive: The Synod of the Left Shoe

Jonathan Bennet talks about surefooted stances in the world of shoes and the not-so-surefooted stances of those who argue about them. Among the lesser church councils of the thirteenth century—those trivial, haphazard regional gatherings of abbots and prelates...

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Earth: The Third Elemental Ironist

Earth: The Third Elemental Ironist

Welcome back to the Ironist series. Today, we delve into the third ironist – the earth, humble but powerful. Having absorbed human ambitions with geological patience, it has witnessed empires crumble to dust, ideologies sink into nothingness and kingdoms pass like...

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The Irony Club

The Irony Club

Can't get enough of irony, can we? So, we created a club. Welcome one and all! We would like to thank you for subscribing to The Ironist and for your kind encouragement over the past two years. It has meant more to us than we can easily say. As a result, we have some...

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Author

  • Nigel Scotchmer

    Nigel’s peripatetic path in life gives him, he believes, a unique perspective on the world around him. He has worked at many occupations over the years from driving a truck, writing welding standards, to being an international salesman,\ accountant and business owner. Brought up in a family that believed that Antigone in the Greek myth was correct to stand up and die for her belief that fairness and truth were more important than the ranting raves of the unthinking mob – his father accepted the consequences of refusing to fire a homosexual in the 1950s – Nigel believes irony is the greatest tool for both encouraging equity and our enjoyment of life. Since irony involves the interplay between emotions, reality and chance, its appreciation can provide meaning to the often inexplicable world in which we live. He said, when interviewed for this summary: “No, we can’t all be heroes, and too often we make the wrong choice, for the wrong reasons – but at least irony can bring peace to us by helping reconcile the warring elements.” Nigel loves literature – especially books and poems that deal with universal themes such as love, war, and justice – and is now happily retired from the world of business. Ironically, (like countless retirees before him!), he says he has the ambition to be a great writer and is currently writing fiction full-time…. Visit him at https://nigelscotchmer.com/