Krippendorf's Tribe

by Frank Parkin

Anthropologist James Krippendorf prepares and publishes his field notes on the Shelmikedmus of the Amazon--a fictitious tribe whose supposed customs and behavior are actually based on Krippendorf's North London family

Genres: Humor, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[🐴 🍖]

ever wonder what white noise by don delillo would be like as a comedy? (to go into slightly deeper depth: pitch-black humor such as this is basically impossible for me not to groove on; what's a bit of a shame is that krippendorf is never rly in danger of being found out, which seems like a whole lotta comedic potential to just leave on the table!!)

[Rigel B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts bad, gets worse.
However if we ignore the satirically exaggerated disgusting/unethical behavior that pervades nearly every character in this book, it is still an amusing critique of british academic circles.
I’m particularly captivated by the unusual importance of gender within the study of the tribe, the shelmikedmu serving as both an object of ridicule and validation in Dr K’s own emasculated family role.

[pee-bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is incredibly eccentric; it felt like trying to parse through an extended session of dreaming that was undertaken by a second-rate universe Brit.

I didn't comprehend what was happening until about 40% of my way through reading, and I was just held up but the sheer offensivness of characters portrayed. Once you get into it though, the story is clear, and hilarious.

This is truly a funny, shocking read and I think it's worth your time; though I cannot guarantee you will enjoy it!

[Curt Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all-time favorite comedies, a satirical look at an academic driven to fake an anthropological field trip and dress up (or, more accurately, down) his preadolescent sons for ersatz photographic documentation. It's also the story of a bumbling parent, a neglected husband in search of sex... all being the same sorry Krippendorf. A mediocre film was made from this hilarious novel, and if you've seen it, please be advised it bears little relation to the wit of this effort, veddy British in its understatement and wry descriptions of the most outrageous ruses into which the protagonist is forced. Humor is a difficult genre to pull off, but Parkin is in command not only of plot ideas that are inherently funny but a wonderfully droll way with words (my favorite Parkin line is from another of his novels: "'I'm sorry,' she added unapologetically." Reading that, I knew EXACTLY how "she" had said it). Unlike some comic writers, Parkin doesn't seem to have any axes to grind or specific classes to assault; he presents only the most generously evenhanded view of the human carnival.

I read this some time ago but noticed in passing the middling reviews for this book. Totally unfair: this is in a class with "Confederacy of Dunces" or anything by Twain or Waugh. A perfect jewel.

[Helen Hanschell Pollock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite funny but then just got too silly, no subtlety, would have been better as a short story. He was one of my lecturers at University of Kent..so I was disappointed. I read a book by a librarian Barry Bowes who did a comic take on a local library which was a similar type of send up but which was done with more skill and panache. Barry's book was "Behind the Stacks".

[Paul Dembina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm rating this on my memory of enjoying it almost 40 years ago

[D.K. Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cruel but effective satire that’s smarter, nastier, and more cogent than the Disney film it inspired.

[Muneer Uddin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one of the best I have read this year. If you can find it, I would highly recommend it.
As for the story, it centers around James Krippendorf. He is a professor who has squandered all of his grant money and is forced to invent the Shelmikedmu tribe. This is where all similarities between the book and movie end. In the book, James receives a lucrative offer from Exotica, an "anthropological" journal which is tantamount to a magazine filled with the nude pictures one would see in National Geographic.

Krippendorf, to get some photos of Shelmikedmu females, seduces and photographs a number of women whom he becomes familiar with, including a babysitter and one of his son's classmates' mother. Throughout the entire book, while he is carrying out these schemes, his unruly children are creating a maelstrom of destruction around the house. Eventually, the children turn wild and start to live in a treehouse and adopt the Shelmikedmu's "customs". This leads to some interesting and hilarious complications.

The best part of this book by far is Krippendorf. The way he acts is reminiscent of Ignatius Reilly in "A Confederacy of Dunces" in that he sees nothing wrong with his behavior and nonchalantly accepts his childrens' overly unruly behavior. For example, when one of his sons shoots the neighbors' dog with a BB gun, instead of being mad, Krippendorf simply promises him a new gun if his son keeps quiet about it.

This book is definitely not for kids, due to its adult subject matter. Like a previous reviewer, I also find it curious that Disney would make a movie out of it.

[Sally Fouhse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious. And just like real life.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, funny, funny - one of the few books that's ever made me laugh.

[Diana Eberhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious

[Mira · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was completely different from the movie. It was like I was reading an entirely different story. I found the film adaptation funnier/more entertaining. Props to the book for cannibalism jokes, though.