Lucky Jim

'His mouth had been used as a latrine by some small creature of the night, and then as a mausoleum. During the night, too, he'd somehow been on a cross-country run and then been expertly beaten up by secret police. He felt bad.'

Jim Dixon's life is anything but ideal. Stuck in a terrible job at a second-rate university, he navigates a world filled with frustrations and absurdities. Among the many things he'd gladly do without are:

• The tedious and ridiculous Professor Welch
• A neurotic and unstable girlfriend, Margaret
• Burnt sheets
• Medieval recorder music
• Over-enthusiastic students

All Jim needs to do is successfully deliver a lecture on 'Merrie England'. With that, a moderately successful career could be within reach.

But without a bit of luck, life is never that simple . . .