Eating People is Wrong by Malcolm Bradbury is a witty and sharply satirical novel that tackles the big questions in life, like the title suggests, such as why you really shouldn’t eat people, and perhaps more importantly, how to survive the absurdities of academic life without losing your mind (or your lunch).
Set in a fictional British university, this book follows the misadventures of Professor Treece, a man so engulfed in intellectual pretensions that he can barely see the absurdity of the world around him. As he navigates the perils of academia, including insufferable colleagues, disinterested students, and the occasional existential crisis, Treece discovers that life in the ivory tower is less about enlightenment and more about avoiding being consumed by the madness of it all, figuratively, of course. With dry humor and keen observations, Bradbury serves up a deliciously ironic tale that reminds us all that while cannibalism is definitely off the table, biting sarcasm is always on the menu.