From working in politics to writing poetry A Q&A with A.M. Juster about his life in the public and

Why did you decide to write under a pseudonym?

I talked about the pseudonym originally as a joke with a friend of mine because of new Office of Government Ethics restrictions on federal employees publishing their work, and then decided that it would be good for privacy. People at the senior levels of government business don’t really respect people that have artistic interests and poets don’t really tend to respect people that have those kinds of jobs. They expect that poets will be academics of one kind or another. So, I decided it was kind of a good thing to just keep my privacy.

How many languages do you know?

Well, it depends a little bit on how you count it. In terms of being really fluent, it really is just English. I don’t converse well in anything other than English. I have reading knowledge of French and Latin. I have a reading knowledge of Italian and a little Middle Welsh. With the Italian-Latin-French base, I can usually pick my way through Portuguese. It’s pretty close to Italian. With enough time I can usually pick my way through even Spanish.

By Jane Kitchen Assistant Editor

“Why do they say it’s a mystery how the pyramids were built when it’s obviously just big bricks in a triangle?”

Philomena Cunk asked Joyce Tyldesley, professor of Egyptology at the University of Manchester, in the new Netflix series, “Cunk on Earth.”

Clearly, Ms. Cunk isn’t one to shy away from tough– or ridiculous– questions.

That’s just one example of the many absurdly provocative (or provocatively absurd?) lines of inquiry posed to subject matter experts in Netflix’s most recent mockumentary. British actress and comedian Diane Morgan stars as Philomena Cunk, the show’s delightfully unreliable narrator. Plucky and half-witted, Cunk is determined to guide her audience through the entirety of human history in five 35-minute segments brimming with dubious historical commentary.

Cunk spends the bulk of each episode conversing with academics about weighty topics such as art, philosophy, and religion. Striking a tone that is somehow both ludicrous and sincere, she delivers her ridiculous questions with perfect timing and an unfaltering deadpan expression. Her charming inanity makes for a remarkably authentic farce.

Each of the series’ five episodes focuses on a different era, from prehistory to the present day. Clocking in at roughly 30 minutes each, the series is low commitment and high payoff. Sporadic and impeccably-timed references to her friend Phil, her ex-boyfriend, and the early ’90s dance hit “Pump Up the Jam” add an element of surprise that packs a hilarious punch.

Though the show is American audiences’ first introduction to Cunk, the character has a decade-long history in British TV. She first appeared in 2013 on the BBC television review program, “Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe.” In early 2018 she starred in “Cunk on Britain,” the less ambitious precursor to “Cunk on Earth.”

The show’s greatest accomplishment is its tone. It’s satirical, but not sneering or cynical. It manages to avoid the moralistic condescension that seems ever-present in modern comedy. It’s not self-important and it doesn’t try to be anything more than it is. The show is skillful execution of a simple goal: make people laugh. It’s just funny.

Diane Morgan’s genius lies in her willingness to look stupid. There’s no social commentary, no hidden meaning, and no tortured moral message. It’s not shrouded in layers of irony.

In a refreshing about-face, “Cunk on Earth” trusts its audience to value the humor simply for what it is: pure, unadulterated silliness. That’s something we could all use a little more of.