Ubú Rey
by Alfred Jarry
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Alred Jarry is probably in my top 20 favorite writers & this is his most famous bk. It's also one of the ones that I find least interesting. It's basically juvenalia - striking in its clear rebelliousness & biting satire but not necessarily THAT great otherwise. Nonetheless, I HAVE 7 EDITIONS OF THIS - 4 IN ENGLISH, 1 IN SPANISH, & 2 IN FRENCH. & mon Français est minimale (et mauvais) & I don't speak Spanish at all. Each of the editions is interestingly different. This...more
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Read in September, 2007
Pere Ubu kills two characters with a toilette brush! Theatre can't get any better than that! All I knew about this play was as a resource from my readings on Brecht and that the 1896 audience caused an uproar when it premiered.
The play is not dated or has aged poorly. Any person living under the rule of a confused, generally stupid, grotesque and/or power-hungry leader can relate to this in some way.
The drawings done by Franciszka Themerson years later may give the reader an idea what ...more
The play is not dated or has aged poorly. Any person living under the rule of a confused, generally stupid, grotesque and/or power-hungry leader can relate to this in some way.
The drawings done by Franciszka Themerson years later may give the reader an idea what ...more
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It's nearly impossible to not see parallels between our current political atmosphere and the plot of Ubu Roi. Jarry held the mirror up to society more effectively than most and this book is viciously funny and delightfully absurd. This man ate his meals in reverse order, spoke like a robot before robots were invented, invented a new field of science, made a religion of alcoholism, referred to himself in the third person, carried a brace of pistols with him everywhere, and was known for shouting ...more
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i do believe that this is the dude that we discussed in art h. methods seminar (though none of my goodreads friends were in that seminar) this past semester when we were reading examples of post-colonial art historical practices with a sociological approach. he was only briefly mentioned but as my group presented the article containing the blurb about him, i of course excitedly tripped on his mention and haven't forgotten about his absurdist approach to exploiting colonialism. i am a bit excit...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
theater folks
Ubu is one of those plays that just blows you mind. It's funny, serious, and a giant mind fuck. Based on multiple play by Shakespeare, it's the fore runner of the theater of the absurd. It's a real Shitter.
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It's insanity like this that I love, but Jarry probably should have taken it further. And maybe he did in the sequels, but I haven't read them yet.
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Read in October, 2006
Macbeth retold as an absurdist drama revolving around shit? Yes. As a matter of fact, that is what this play is about.
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This is a classic of modern French theater, and it's also a fun read, if you are of a literary mindset.
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Read in January, 2000
recommends it for:
dadaists
Wonderfully absurd.
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