The Diary of a Nobody, an English comic novel written by George Grossmith and his brother Weedon Grossmith with illustrations by Weedon, first appeared in the magazine Punch and was first printed in book form in 1892. It is considered a classic work of humour and has never been out of print.The diary is the fictitious record of fifteen months in the life of Mr. Charles Pooter, a middle aged city clerk of lower middle-class status but significant social aspirations, living in the fictional 'Brickfield Terrace' in Upper Holloway which was then a typical suburb of the impecuniously respectable kind. Other characters include his wife Carrie (Caroline), his son Lupin, his friends Mr Cummings and Mr Gowing, and Lupin's unsuitable fiancée, Daisy Mutlar. The humor derives from Pooter's unconscious gaffes and self-importance, as well as the snubs he receives from those he considers socially inferior, such as tradesmen. In The Diary of a Nobody the Grossmiths create an accurate if amusing record of the manners, customs and experiences of Londoners of the late Victorian era.

《小人物日记》讲述的是正经人普特尔的幸福生活。小市民家常的微末细节让很多人感到亲切。与中国工人贫嘴张大民相比，维多利亚时代英国的下层中产者老普的日子在物质上远远更丰足。但是攀附"绅士"的势利心态却反衬出他生活的局促、暗淡和难堪。对老普的贴切而尖刻的讥讽英国味儿十足，在很大程度上表达了一个社会群体的有一定深度的自省和自嘲。