Embattled former Virgin Islands senator releases 800-page, cutting-edge etiquette book

[TexasTowelie]

ST CROIX, USVI -- Former US Virgin Islands senator and senate liaison to the White House, Wayne James, has just released his highly anticipated etiquette book for men, Manly Manners: Lifestyle & Modern Etiquette for the Young Man of the 21st Century.

Published by the iUniverse division of Penguin-Random House, the provocative, edgy, 840-page book – the first of a three-volume treatise totaling 2,100 pages – has been in the making for six years. Since January 2011, the author has lived on three continents and one archipelago – South America, North America, Europe, and the Caribbean – researching and writing the treatise, which is already being called “The most comprehensive work on male comportment”, “Refreshingly inclusive and matter-of-factly cosmopolitan” and “A tour de force”.

James, a Georgetown University law graduate, fashion designer, scholar of Danish West Indies history, and art collector, is also no stranger to controversy. In June 2016, he waived extradition and was returned to the US Virgin Islands from Italy in August to face federal criminal charges for alleged “fiscal inconsistencies” during his 2009 - 2011 senate term.

James was indicted under seal in October 2015 and first became aware of the charges eight months later, in June 2016. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges but was declared a “flight risk” and denied bail until October 7, 2016, when he posted bail and was released under 24/7 lockdown “home incarceration” pending the trial. The trial is scheduled for February 2017.

Read more: http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-Embattled-former-USVI-senator-releases-800-page%2C-cutting-edge-etiquette-book-32907.html

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. iUniverse is a self-publishing imprint, not owned by Penguin, but Najafi, a private equity firm

http://www.theindependentpublishingmagazine.com/2016/01/breaking-up-is-hard-to-do-penguin-random-house-has-sold-author-solutions.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IUniverse

The quotes given could come from his mother, for all we know.

[DetlefK]

2. "tour de force" is actually an insult, not a praise...

Describing a book or movie as a "tour de force" means, you had to force yourself to watch it. ("forcing yourself to finish this tour&quot It was so bad you wanted to quit halfway through several times, but you had to watch it, so you forced yourself to watch it to the end.

Whoever praised this book as a "tour de force" has no idea what this term means or was trolling him.

[JHB]

3. Do you have any source for that particular definition?

It's at odds with just about all other sources, and with common usage.

[DetlefK]

4. Well, in german it's a negative term.

http://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Tour_de_Force

act of force; act of effort; an action defined by struggle



"You will struggle reading this book." doesn't sound that positive to me...

[JHB]

5. Except this isn't about German usage, it's about English usage...

...of a French phrase, no less.

I can't tell whether or not the phrase equates to "arduous" in German as you imply, but in English it has been consistently used as a superlative for almost two centuries.

[DetlefK]

6. That's weird. Could you explain further?

EDIT:
Ah, now I see.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/tour-de-force?s=t

The german refers to there BEING an obstacle. The english meaning refers to the state after OVERCOMING the obstacle. So, in german, tour de force is an action. In english, it's an object or state.

[JHB]

8. That's right. A case of the same borrowed phrase evolving in different directions...

...in different languages.

Add this to "practical examples of a linguistic false friend (or falscher freund)."

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. It's strength on the part of the actor (author, in this case)

Oxford English Dictionary: "A feat of strength, power, or skill"
1st known use in English:
1802 Ld. Elgin Let. 18 Feb. in Paget Papers (1896) II. 41 To exult over what is styled a tour de force of the British Influence here.

Other dictionaries and similar books agree it's a positive phrase, describing the skill or effort of the person doing it:

Bloomsbury Good Word Guide: "The French expression tour de force is used to refer to a performance or achievement that shows great skill, strength, etc.: "
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language "A feat requiring great virtuosity or strength, often deliberately undertaken for its difficulty"
etc.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Are you sure it's used negatively?

Here's the first couple of examples of actual use in German I can find:

Captain Kirks Tour de Force im finalen Trailer

Der finale Trailer zumindest spricht dafür, dass Star Trek Beyond den Spagat zwischen Charakter-Entwicklung, großem Actionkino und Tiefgang schaffen kann.

http://www.rp-online.de/panorama/fernsehen/star-trek-beyond-captain-kirks-tour-de-force-im-finalen-trailer-aid-1.6080801

Tour de Force in Fernost

Es ist ein Triumphzug. In Peking begeistert ein Tiroler Ensemble die Opernfreunde mit Richard Wagner. Nun geht's im Zug nach Shanghai - und dort gibt man den ganzen Ring in 24 Stunden.

http://orpheus-magazin.de/tour-de-force-in-fernost/

Both positive, I'd say.