Product Description
Fiction. "The act of love is of no importance, since itcan be performed indefinitely." With that remark, the gentlemanadventurer Andre Marcueil sets into motion an outrageous plot ofscientific experiments and technological heroism focused on authorAlfred Jarry's trinity of obsessions: sex, alcohol, and bicycles. Likea mock Jules Verne, Jarry describes the manner in which the"Supermale" ultimately proves his claim; after 82 times with a woman,attending doctors hook him up to a machine instead, with whom hemerges in the book's--and the Supermale's--final climax. This 1902novel is, together with EXPLOITS AND OPINIONS OF DOCTOR FAUSTROLL,PATAPHYSICIAN (1898), one of the pillars of Pataphysics, Jarry's"science of imaginary solutions." Translated from French by RalphGladstone and Barbara Wright. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Unreal
If the Marquis de Sade, having abandoned his steadygoing Cartesianism for the monistic mechanicism of Spinoza, had decided to interpolate 'Philosophy in the Boudoir' with passages from 'Around the World in 80 Days', you would get something rather similar to this outstanding novel. Like all of Jarry's books, it's an inexhaustible dynamo. If you love Raymond Roussel and Marcel Duchamp, this is the novel for you.

A Sci-Fi Novel of the Greatest Magnitude...
Our protagonist Andre Marcueil had grand ideas...so grand that his "Everyday ordinariness became extraordinary."

Andre firmly believes that human capacity has no limits. He believed it so fervently that he would risk his life in a ten-thousand mile race with a steam locomotive at speeds greater than 300 miles per hour with no rest and no sustenance, save the cubes of perpetual motion food, then to copulate with the same woman 82 times in twenty-four hours, and to recharge an electric chair designed to produce love.

Braggadocio? Maybe, or maybe his futuristic ideas held something of substance, something an ordinary mind could not possibly grasp hold of. Andrew Marcueil - Hercules, Frankenstein, or Supermale?

The fusion of man and machine is not that uncommon a theme, but Jarry takes our protagonist one step further into the surreal, envisioning a better human race, where the age old philosophies of man are not only limited but are pointless idiocies. The self-inflicted trials and tribulations our protagonist endures in this story are beyond reason and ultimately absurd. But for all the absurdity, it is the story of a man's search for himself - a better self. 1920, a time of great change in the world, the dawn of the modern age, Jarry brings into question how humans can take the manifestations of their minds and thrust them into reality, and yet, with all the trinkets and machines our genius minds invent, none of them seem to better us as people.

Above all, discretely woven into this tale is a love story, a heart wrenching sad love story. And what of love? Could someone as cruel and heartless as our protagonist actually love?Love being something beyond infinite and ungraspable - a shadow. "The act of love is of no importance, since if can be performed indefinitely." For our protagonist, love is an absurdity...a sentiment...not quite and act...more of an enfeebled sensation. In order find love, one must understand God. Would Andre ever understand...could he understand? Could he see God in himself, even though his egotistical mania filled him with the belief that he actually was God. Even Jarry himself had his doubts: "If nothing is sacred and everything is absurd and meaningless, the logical conclusion is self-annihilation." Jarry was not far from the truth, even then. Love is not a means to an end - it is the end in itself, for without it, no matter how many contraptions we strap to our backs, we will perish. We are the only machines that have the capacity to generate love, and in that lies the truth: The human capacity for love is limitless.

Jarry's prose is eloquent and refined...a delicate balance of theorem and conjecture without the loss of poetry. Surrealist and Sci-Fi fans alike will be pleased with the implications of this story.

Marvel and Laugh at the Patriarchy
From the turn of the last century comes this surrealistic novel that will make you laugh at the Patriarchy and its obsessions with Technology and Phallocracy. The great Poet and Pataphysician Alfred Jarry could see, using hallucinogenic insight, the foibles and evils of his own enculturated hyper-masculinity. What a vision. Not to be missed !!

surprisingly compelling; seriously surreal
One often takes French proto-surrealist literature with a grain (or spoonful) of salt, perhaps due to the hollow stigma which Breton and others rendered the word 'surrealism.' This novel by the maniac Jarry was ahelpful reminder that he and Apollinaire and a few others were reallygetting at something compelling. Jarry's Supermale is an hyperbolic monsterof masculinity, riding 10000 miles on a bicycle at the speed of alocomotive to proclaim his desire for a certain woman, with which woman heproceeds, in order to prove a point, to copulate a total of 82 times in 24hours.However, Andre Marceuil is clearly a self-portrait;descriptions of him read uncannily closely to Jarry's own physiognomy.Marceuil is a man intent on living his art, without pretentions orassistance. The sex that occupies the latter 40 pages of this rather shortnovel (80 pages total) is surprisingly sensitive and crazy, especiallyduring a launch into a poetic hymn to Helen of Troy. Altogether a touchingand inspirational nugget of strange virtuosity. Read it and regain yourfaith in the true surrealism. (if you have lost it.) ... Read more

Product Description

Alfred Jarry is regarded as one of the founders of modern avant-garde theatre— “Dada, Surrealism, Pataphysics, Theatre of Cruelty, the Absurd—all owe a debt to Jarry.” (Encore)This volume contains his three classic Ubu texts: Ubu Roi, Ubu Cocu and Ubu Enchaîné.Through the lucid translations of Connolly and Taylor, the reader comes to realize that the violent and loathsome Ubu is Jarry’s dark metaphor for man in the modern age.As Ubu himself said, “We shall not have succeeded in demolishing everything unless we demolish the ruins as well.”

Customer Reviews (6)

Superb Translation
I have read other worthy translations of the Ubu plays but from what I can tell so far, this is one of the best, if not the best, translations I have read so far. The scatological humor shows through strongly on every page and the dialogue flows nicely.The book also offers some well-written background on Jarry's life and works, which makes the book useful not only from a theatrical standpoint, but from an academic one as well.

Incoherent Rubbish from a Drunk
Jarry, a semi-psychotic, flaccid, career drunk, who once attacked Proust with a pen knife, and masterminded an invasion upon the Notre Dame cathedral with an army of beggars, is hardly even worth mentioning in the domain of great literature, it is in fact, a fact, that he only wrote bland comic monstrosities which aren't even very interesting.His structure is incoherent and reminscent of a lunatic who blathers out underdeveloped nonsense.Maybe if he had invested some time on organization instead of drinking Absinthe all day, he could have achieved some appreciation for great words of art.

The Only True Dada Book
King Turd is a French play written by Alfred Jarry. At the time he wrote the play he was 15 years old. King Turd is a collection of three plays Ubu Roi, Ubu Enchaine, and Ubu Cuco. He wrote the play Ubu Roi to perform with marionettes for some cash in 1888. The play was first performed with live actors in 1896.
Ubu Roi was the first to be written, it follows the story of Papa Turd and Mama Turd who try overthrowing the government to become the king and queen of Poland. Ubu Enchaine was written after Alfred Jarry some wrote other plays. It is the exact opposite of Ubu Roi following Papa Turd and Mama Turd as they try to become slaves. Ubu Cuco is a considerably headier story then the previous. The plot follows Papa Turd's encounters many gods, the higher class, and his conscience.
The story is usually considered a satire of Shakespeare. That is true, many of the characters are very similar to characters in plays by Shakespeare. But Ubu is also a satire of everything in late 19th century France. Things like money grabbing politicians and a stupid public are still around today. Therefore it is still relevant. Because Ubu Roi was written by a 15 year old it contains very simple language and is often nursery rhyme like. If you can read French it is better to read the book in French to catch all the word puns that Alfred Jarry wrote.
The character of Papa Turd is one of the most interesting characters I have ever met in a book. He was one of the first characters in a novel to use language that is still considered naughty over 100 years later. The character of Papa Turd can be seen through his master plan "start by grabbing all the money, then kill everybody and leave." King Turd is an extremely humorous book. It is highly recommended to someone who wants something more then Shakespeare and the Family Circus.

Read and Compare Translations
By my Green Candle !!Jarry is very difficult to translate from the French, so be sure to read and compare various translations to really get the feel, if you don't read French. Well worth the effort, and this volume is a fine place to start.

Wild book!
This is a school joke that has evolved into an epic! McLeish's translation takes a lot of liberties and sometimes many things are lost. On the other side, he possesses great wit and through compensation, his work comes out as one of the best translations! ... Read more

Product Description
A stunning, controversial work that immediately outraged audiences with its scatological references during the 1896 premiere, the farce satirizes the tendency of the successful bourgeois to abuse his authority and become irresponsibly complacent. Championed by Dadaists and Surrealists as the first absurdist drama, Ubu Roi features a main character that is cruel, gluttonous, and grotesque--the author's metaphor for modern man.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Not a worthwhile edition
"Ubu Roi" is surely Jarry's most widely known work, and it is an excellent and fun read indeed.However, this edition on New Directions is, unfortunately, badly done.

The translation here is by Barbara Wright, who's translations (of Jarry, Queneau, and others) I generally enjoy.I'm sure this one is equally good, but it is difficult to tell.The entire text of "Ubu Roi" is presented here in hand-written form (scribbled is more like it), with a pen the size of a sharpie.Add to that inane drawings (not Jarry's) around and behind the text on every page.Not only is this very distracting, but some words are not really legible.If you try hard enough you can read it, but it is a very tedious process and completely takes away the fun of reading "Ubu Roi".

With that said, there are a few additional texts in this volume that are printed normally, and which are worthwhile.First is Barbara Wright's useful introduction, and at the end are two essays on the theatre by Jarry, as well as his "Song of Disembraining".The two essays can be found in the Methuen edition, but the "Song..." I have not seen in any other easily available Jarry volume.

I'd highly recommend that any interested reader avoid this edition and pay a few more dollars for the Methuen edition.The translation there (by Connolly and Taylor) is excellent, includes the two subsequent Ubu plays, and features a lengthy introduction and larger selection of Jarry's essays on the theatre.

A turd of a translation.
Not the greatest translation of Jarry's masterpiece.

As a Dover thrift edition, it is thrifty and cheap. . . you get what you pay for.

I would recommend the Cyril Connelly/Simon Watson Taylor version in it's place.

Ubu Forever!
At $ 3.99 a copy you can't go wrong. I found this in the bargain bin at a local bookstore and thought I was in an absinthe delirium. The brilliant beginning of avant-garde theatre. Don't miss it.

Roll over Dover
Silvermom's review of Ubu Roi on this site is misleading.It refers to the New Directions edition of the play, now unfortunately out of print.The Dover edition does not have the delightful line drawings, nor the added essays on theatre by Jarry.Also, I don't much care for Dover's gratuitous (and inaccurate) translation of "Ubu Roi" as "King Turd."On the other hand, as far as English translations go, Dover's is pretty much the only game in town. And Jarry's game is wonderfully worth playing, full of rambunctious anarchic high spirits. Just so you have a better idea of what you'll actually be getting.

Not just Ubu Roi!
1991 22nd printing includes; Ubu Roi, a Drama in 5 acts; The Song of Disembraining by Alfred Jarry; 2 essays on the theatre by Jarry - "Questions of the Theatre" and "Of the Futility of the "Theatrical" In the Theatre";2 portraits of author by L. Lantier and F. A. Cazals;several drawings by Jarry and Pierre Bonnard;204 drawings by Franciszka Themerson doodled on lithographic plates. Fascinating book! ... Read more

Product Description
Introduction by Roger Shattuck.Text byAlfred Jarry.Translated by Simon Watson Taylor.Paperback, 6 x 8 in. / 160 pgs / ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

How to Dream Your Way Through Life....
...with your host Alfred Jarry. The text is astonishing and Roger Shattuck's (author of the incredible "The Banquet Years", which is partially about Jarry) introductory essay alone is worth the cover price.

In the words of the Butt-faced Baboon, "Ha Ha!"

I finally read it!
Pardon that Narcissus' who wrote my Review Title...

This is a fantastic book!

I bought it here from amazon.com a number of years ago, 97 or 98 and I finally read it this past week. I don't want to give anything away, because it is so utterly unique and enjoyable....However, I will say: Track down this book! Demand it!

If you are a lover of the works or just plain amazing style of one of the 20th century's greatest literary artists... William Burroughs(!), then you will LOVE THIS BOOK! Heck, You'll ADORE it.

This is a trip by boat, on land... an adventure far more exciting than the Odyssey, but perhaps among similiar lines...

A journey from a middle point in life, to the extents of certain existences... and, to death... and beyond.. Finally, you will see why it started in the middle of life!

The climax is amazing, and every scene comes across like the greatest film never made.

Dali was definately influenced, as a number of scenes in here look like what Dali was to later paint!

In the end though I found myself saying only,

"Ha, ha."

And I did not lose myself in further considerations.

Except that, I would like to close by saying something I found very important, and dare I say, Life Changing:

'Pataphysics meets Psychology
Reading this book again, as I usually do on New Years Day, I started having an ether image of Doctor Faustroll, Poet and 'Pataphysician, meeting Dr. Norem, Personality Psychologist. Not to debate, but to discuss. I feel that Alfred Jarry and the good Dr. Faustroll would both understand and find etherially amusing the absurd title of her book -- the positive power of negative thinking. And they could help explain to the rest of us how psychology works. That would be nice. Or perhaps we need 'Patapsychology to stand above Freud's Metapsychological Papers. In any case, we need Dr. Faustroll to be perceptive.

Jarry's posthumous masterpiece
This is a very great book, but I could hardly recommend it. Would you enjoy it? I think it is skies above the Ubu books inits range of vision, and I certainly didn't see any baboons with gluteal musculature grafted to their cheeks starring as commentator in those more famous works . . . well, I don't know what to say this "sort of thing" is exactly . . . if you are unfamiliar with this man (a drinker in the line of Rabelais, except I would say he was much more sincerely dedicated, a scholar, a scientist, a metaphysical swine, a bicycler, an eccentric above the heavyweights of French nincompoops, a novelist, -- also he did decent woodcuts, too) and his work then I would recommend the Supermale as a better beginning. If that is indeed your brand of entertainment, than hoist this flag up on the mast of your soft and sticky palm that never picked an axe to chop a block or made a fist to fight for your principles nor did anything else in all your life except to pick up another foreign book we can all be grateful for to have been translated, and sail it gently down the seas of your eyes until you land where you were looking for . . . this is a traveler's book.

Should Be as Well-known As Ubu
Faustroll is a Hallucinogenic cross between Lewis Carroll & Jules Verne. Magnificently dense style of a prose poem, images as strange as Lautremont's. It also reminded me of Flann O'Brien's Third Policeman, the only book that has done that. ... Read more

Product Description

Alfred Jarry’s (1873–1907) creation of the monster-tyrant Ubu in his play Ubu Roi was a watershed in theater history and brought him instant notoriety following its Paris premiere in 1896. In this concise, critical biography, Jill Fell explores this and the many achievements that this multi-talented and influential writer and playwright crammed into his short life.

Drawing on numerous anecdotes and the early publications of the Collège de ’Pataphysique, Fell traces Jarry’s growth and influence, as he rapidly established his literary reputation as a prose writer, journalist, art critic, and playwright. Along the way, Fell explores his interaction with a wide cast of avant-garde characters, including Gauguin, Rachilde, Wilde, Beardsley, and Apollinaire. The quarrels that punctuated Jarry’s life—and the extravagance and the drinking that drained his meager wealth—form the background to this portrait of an obsessive writer, committed to his craft and undeterred by his worsening domestic circumstances.

In this entertaining biography, Jarry’s spirit and his inventions clearly emerge as an inspiration to the great figures of experimental twentieth-century theatre, art, and literature. Alfred Jarry will inform and delight readers who wish to learn more about this fascinating, unconventional figure.

Product Description
The Garden of Priapus is undoubtedly the best novel of Jarry’s mature period.It is historical romance in episodic form, a series of tableaux of Rome in her decadence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Mad about Moulin Rouge? Read on!
By far, the most accessible biography of Alfred Jarry and his times. If you loved the 'Children of the Revolution' as depicted in the Baz Luhrman film of Moulin Rouge, then read on!

With the brilliant and quirky illustrations of Bill Griffiths, Nigey Lennon's book is an entertaining and thought provoking look into the genius of this little madman from Laval. She captures the spirit of Paris during the belle epoque, it's artists, and later goes into Jarry's Pataphysics.

For those of you whose tried to decipher Jarry from Roger Shattucks 'The Banquet Years' (a brilliant but dry study of the same period) I highly recommend you peruse Alfred Jarry: Man With An Axe. . . it's a great book!

A great illumination of an obscure artistic figure...
A fantastic source of info on Alfred Jarry, a genuinely seminal if somewhat forgotten artistic figure.

Jarry was the deviser of 'pataphysics' - a sort of science of surrealism, and lead a rather anarchic existance in fin-de-seacle Paris - in many ways a creative forefather to the varied likes of William Burroughs and Hunter S. Thompson.Jarry was best known for the riot-provoking play "Ubu Roi," which, some 80 years down the road, inspired the name (and some of the stage presence) of the band Pere Ubu.

Lennon's biography is accessible and well-researched, with a number of line drawings as illustrations, in the spirit of Jarry himself.A fascinating read.

-David Alston

Excellent for research or fun.
An exceptional and comprehensive overview of the life of Pa Ubu himself!This book is very well researched and written (and illustrated!) with a sense of humor that Jarry would have appreciated."Man With AnAxe" is by far the best source of biographical info on Jarry inEnglish.Jarry fanatics (especially those that cannot read French) shouldlook no further. ... Read more

Product Description
ALFRED JARRY is chiefly known as the creator of UBU, the anti-hero of what is acknowledged as the first "absurd" drama, but this was only one facet of a writer now seen as one of the most vital (and peculiar) influences on the French literature of this century.

Visits of Love was Jarry's second novel, originally written for a publisher specialising in erotica (who must have been perplexed by the result). The "visits" consist of a remarkable series of tableaux, dialogues and assignations which deviously undermine the dreary situations of conventional erotic writing. They become more and more extravagant, transcending the everyday, passing beyond death, returning to bizarre versions of historical myths, or to the lavatorial trysts of Madame Ubu. Jarry's intricate style is pushed to its furthest limits, from crude buffoonery to ornate Symbolist texts of earnest intensity.

Certain chapters are unique in his writing: Raymond Queneau described The Old Man of the Mountain as Jarry's most perfect work, and ' the episode Fear Visits Love is among his most often reprinted works in France. Despite its curious origins, the novel is an essential part of Jarry's oeuvre. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent collection of Jarry's works
Adventures in 'Pataphysics is an excellent volume containing a focused (and nicely translated) selection of Jarry's work, and is complete with illustrations from the originals and extensive notes in the back of the book.

The first work in this volume is "Black Minutes Of Memorial Sand" -- one of Jarry's earliest works; a novel written in a hodgepodge of styles (poem, play, etc.).The second piece is "Caesar-Antichrist" -- a play (the first act of which actually appears at the end of "Black Minutes").While these works may not be the easiest to follow, that is probably not so much the point with much of Jarry's symbolist and proto-surrealist work.Certain elements and characters pop up throughout these and his other works, notably the Ubu family.

Next we have a section containing four essays, including the amusing mock-scientific "How To Construct A Time Machine".And finally there is a selection of many short (1-2 page) pieces that appeared in journals and such of the time.A handful are quite dated, but for the most part they are a great read -- Jarry has a great gift for satire.

It is difficult to sum up what it is like reading one of Jarry's works.From bizarre symbols and wacky metaphors, to hilarious episodes and confusing allegories, Jarry takes the reader on quite a ride.One might compare it to Lewis Carrol or Monty Python, but for the more mature and less sane reader.

This is a perfect introduction to Jarry's work for the adventurous reader.And for those already familiar with Jarry, this is an excellent volume you need in your library. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Jarry's work is the tangential point between zero and infinity...
So far, this is the best compendium of Jarry's work I have found. It has the full text of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician which is very difficult to find. Overall, this collection exposed me further to Jarry's work, which quite frankly I find inaccessible. After reading him I understand why he is considered the father of Surrealism and, in my opinion, Surrealism's best medium is not print, but rather art and film. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Great for the Jarry enthusiast
This is the second volume from Atlas Press in their series of Alfred Jarry's Collected Works.(The third, and probably final, volume has yet to be published at the time of this review.)The presentation and binding are identical to that of the first volume; i.e. excellent.The end-notes, while not as extensive as before, are still more than adequate.

The first (and longest) book here is "Days And Nights" -- I'd have to consider this the most difficult work of Jarry's that I've read.In brief, it is the story of a young man drafted(?) into the army, his experiences, and his daydreams.The first half is quite tedious, but towards the middle it becomes more interesting and 'Pataphysical.The final third is quite bizarre and hallucinatory, nearer what one might expect from William S. Burroughs.Though an interesting read, I felt it trudged along too often (and I didn't feel this was particularly due to the translation).As with most Jarry works I felt a bit more confused after reading it, but not in a good way here!Worth reading for the total Jarry enthusiast, but, frankly, that's about it.

The second work here is "The Exploits And Opinions Of Doctor Faustroll, 'Pataphysician".It is a fabulous and fun read; wholly recommended.I don't wish to give away too much of the plot, but try to imagine a 'Pataphysical adventure/mystery story."Faustroll" is one of Jarry's major works, and that fact comes through quite clear while reading it.The translation seems great as well.

"Absolute Love" rounds out this volume.It is a short and exceptionally strange work about the "discovery that one's mother is a virgin."While not the easiest piece to read (the names especially can become rather confusing), it is quick and worthwhile.

"Faustroll" is clearly the highlight here, and I highly recommend that for reading.It is available (in, I believe, the same translation with notes) from Exact Change.For the casual reader, I would recommend that book, as opposed to this.However, for those wanting to delve further into the works of Mr. Jarry, you'll definitely want to pick this up. ... Read more

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drama, tr Antony Melville ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Complicated Masterpiece
Most of you have probably never even heard of Alfred Jarry.I for one was a virgin upon seeing the production of this play at my school this past quarter at UCSC.Mind you, that this was the second onlymainstream production ever (the other school being Yale)!The reasons for that being that it has been the subject of many theater majors' dissertations for why it is an unstagable play.And indeed it is; in talking with the director of the UCSC production - the one I attended - he and even the cast read the play an innumerable amount of times and still didn't know what was going on nor how to even begin working with the set or blocking.Seeing it as a final process looked like it was a complete pain in the ass to pull off.But it was done well.The story is three interpretations of Jesus' crucifixion, the uprising of the Roman Empire, the murdering of Caesar, the book of Revelations and the Progenitor of the church of the antichrist.Jarry has been known for being the father of the absurdist theater, but regardless of how absurd this play is, it's a flawless effort. ... Read more