Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Pandgt;When Alfred Jarry died in 1907 at the age of thirty-four, he was a legendary figure in Paris--but this had more to do with his bohemian lifestyle and scandalous behavior than his literary achievements. A century later, Jarry is firmly established as one of the leading figures of the artistic avant-garde. Italo Calvino, Umberto Eco, Gilles Deleuze, Jean Baudrillard, Philip K. Dick, Paul McCartney, DJ Spooky, Peter Greenaway, and J. G. Ballard are among his many admirers. A community of scholars and artists maintain a posthumous dialogue with Jarry's ideas through the Collège de 'Pataphysique in Paris (named after the andquot;science of imaginary solutionsandquot; he conceived), while a steady stream of books on twentieth-century drama pay tribute to his absurd and grotesque play, Ubu Roi. Even so, most people today tend to think of Jarry only as the author of that play, and of his life as a string of outlandish andquot;ubuesqueandquot; anecdotes, often recounted with wild inaccuracy. In this first full-length critical biography of Jarry in English, Alastair Brotchie reconstructs the life of a man intent on inventing (and destroying) himself, not to mention his world, and the andquot;philosophyandquot; that defined their relation. In short, Brotchie gives us the narrative version of what Jarry himself produced--a pataphysical life. Drawing on a wealth of new material, Brotchie alternates chapters of biographical narrative with chapters that connect themes, obsessions, and undercurrents that relate to the life. The anecdotes remain, and are even augmented: Jarry's assumption of the andquot;ubuesque,andquot; his inversions of everyday behavior (such as eating backwards, from cheese to soup), his exploits with gun and bicycle, and his herculean feats of drinking. But Brotchie distinguishes between Jarry's purposely playing the fool and deeper nonconformities that appear essential to his writing and his thought, both of which remain a vital subterranean influence to this day.andlt;/Pandgt;
Review
Who was Alfred Jarry really? And how did this angry young man from the provinces come to invent pataphysics and to write the revolutionary drama Ubu Roi? In this, the first full-length biography of Jarry in English, Alastair Brotchie, himself a central figure in the 'Coll ège de 'Pataphysique' and scholar of the avant-garde, gives us a richly documented, beautifully illustrated, and intimate portrait of the complex personality behind the Ubu masks. I found it a real page-turner. The MIT Press
Review
Alastair Brotchie has achieved something very rare. In giving us the first detailed account of Jarry's life, he shares a lot of discoveries and unknown documents but avoids reducing the life to a collection of biographical or archival facts. Indeed, he makes us feel, think, act, see, and almost speak in connivance with this delicate and strange monster, Alfred Jarry. Marjorie Perloff, author of < i=""> The Futurist Moment <> and < i=""> Unoriginal Genius <>
Review
Aficionados of Alfred Jarry's writings will welcome this urgently necessary life of the inventor of 'Pataphysics, that mad and minor science of imaginary solutions. Alastair Brotchie's biography fills an enormous gap in our understanding not only of Jarry's complex life but of the tangled sociocultural networks of tastes and antipathies that constructed the Banquet Years. Impeccably researched, masterfully written, and profusely illustrated, Alfred Jarry: A Pataphysical Life is guaranteed to broaden and deepen Anglophone interest in Jarry (whom Cyril Connolly dubbed the Santa Claus of the atomic age) and 'Pataphysics alike. Thieri Foulc, cofounder of the Oupeinpo and Provéditeur-Éditeur Général of the Collège de 'Pataphysique
Review
" Alfred Jarry provides many new facts, some pertinent analyses, and a clutch of outrageously amusing yarns." -- Mark Polizzotti, Bookforum Steve McCaffery
Review
Alastair Brotchie brilliantly evokes the avant-garde artistic movements of fin-de-siecle Paris in all their glittering grubbiness. Mark Polizzotti - - < -="" i="" -=""> - Bookforum - < -="" -="">
Review
andlt;Pandgt;"Who was Alfred Jarry really? And how did this angry young man from the provinces come to invent pataphysics and to write the revolutionary drama andlt;Iandgt; Ubu Roiandlt;/Iandgt;? In this, the first full-length biography of Jarry in English, Alastair Brotchie, himself a central figure in the 'Coll andlt;Iandgt;èandlt;/Iandgt;ge de 'Pataphysique' and scholar of the avant-garde, gives us a richly documented, beautifully illustrated, and intimate portrait of the complex personality behind the Ubu masks. I found it a real page-turner."--Marjorie Perloff, author of andlt;Iandgt;The Futurist Momentandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;Unoriginal Geniusandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press Marjorie Perloff
Review
andlt;Pandgt;"Alastair Brotchie has achieved something very rare. In giving us the first detailed account of Jarry's life, he shares a lot of discoveries and unknown documents but avoids reducing the life to a collection of biographical or archival facts. Indeed, he makes us feel, think, act, see, and almost speak in connivance with this delicate and strange monster, Alfred Jarry." -- andlt;Bandgt;Thieri Foulcandlt;/Bandgt;, cofounder of the Oupeinpo and Provéditeur-Éditeur Général of the Collège de 'Pataphysiqueandlt;/Pandgt; Thieri Foulc
Review
andlt;Pandgt;"Aficionados of Alfred Jarry's writings will welcome this urgently necessary life of the inventor of 'Pataphysics, that mad and minor science of imaginary solutions. Alastair Brotchie's biography fills an enormous gap in our understanding not only of Jarry's complex life but of the tangled sociocultural networks of tastes and antipathies that constructed the Banquet Years. Impeccably researched, masterfully written, and profusely illustrated, andlt;Iandgt;Alfred Jarry: A Pataphysical Lifeandlt;/Iandgt; is guaranteed to broaden and deepen Anglophone interest in Jarry (whom Cyril Connolly dubbed the Santa Claus of the atomic age) and 'Pataphysics alike." -- andlt;Bandgt;Steve McCafferyandlt;/Bandgt;, David Gray Chair Professor of Poetry and Letters, University at Buffalo, coeditor of andlt;Iandgt;Imagining
Review
andlt;Pandgt;" andlt;Iandgt;Alfred Jarry andlt;/Iandgt;provides many new facts, some pertinent analyses, and a clutch of outrageously amusing yarns." -- andlt;Bandgt;Mark Polizzottiandlt;/Bandgt;, andlt;Iandgt;Bookforumandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press
Review
Alastair Brotchie brilliantly evokes the avant-garde artistic movements of fin-de-siecle Paris in all their glittering grubbiness. Mark Polizzotti - - < -="" i="" -=""> - Bookforum - < -="" -="">
Review
Alfred Jarry: A Pataphysical Life by Alastair Brotchie is a superb chronicle of the life and times of the fin-de-siècle French writer. Charlotte Keith - - < -="" i="" -=""> - Varsity - < -="" -="">
Review
An "enthralling, scrupulously researched, and elegantly written biography." -- Mark Ford, The New York Review of Books The MIT Press
Review
[Brotchie] gives us an unmatched and vivid picture of the belle epoque's avant-garde, of which Jarry was an important, original part. Mark Ford - - < -="" i="" -=""> - The New York Review of Books - < -="" -="">
Review
...[Brotchie's] tone is clear and informed, rooted in a familiarity with Jarry that has something quite personal about it, which is all for the good. Michael Moorcock - - < -="" i="" -=""> - The Guardian - < -="" -="">
Review
andlt;Pandgt;"Brotchie's archival work and translations are meticulousand#133;Highly recommended." -- andlt;Bandgt;M. Gaddis Roseandlt;/Bandgt;, andlt;Iandgt;Choiceandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press
Review
[Brotchie] skilfully moves between providing a relatively straightforward and sympathetic account of the writer's life and critically sorting through the narratives that have sustained and shaped the long-standing image of Jarry... Brotchie's refusal to mythologise stands as the book's greatest strength, and as a fitting testament to the manifold complexity of Alfred Jarry. - < -="" i="" -=""> - Choice - < -="" -="">
Review
How a schoolboy caricature evolved into Jarry's best-known creation, his monstrous 'every-man', Père Ubu, is a fascinating story which Brotchie tells with impressive scholarship, sympathy and wit. Karl Whitney - - < -="" i="" -=""> - 3:AM Magazine - < -="" -="">
Review
Brotchie's painstaking and drily funny biography is now the most ample account of Jarry and his importance that is available in our language; it is unlikely ever to be bettered. Peter Blegvad - - < -="" i="" -=""> - The Spectator - < -="" -="">
Review
That Jarry comes across as both more and less than we might expect from his reputation and his writings is a result of Brotchie so resolutely and expertly keeping his eye on the available facts and not allowing himself to wander into speculation and hero-worship. Kevin Jackson - - < -="" i="" -=""> - The Literary Review - < -="" -="">
Review
"[Brotchie] gives us an unmatched and vivid picture of the belle epoque's avant-garde, of which Jarry was an important, original part." -- Michael Moorcock, The Guardian Mark Ford, < i=""> The New York Review of Books <>
Review
Brotchie's archival work and translations are meticulous…Highly recommended. -- M. Gaddis Rose Allan Graubard - - < -="" i="" -=""> - Leonardo On-Line - < -="" -="">
Review
Alfred Jarry provides many new facts, some pertinent analyses, and a clutch of outrageously amusing yarns. Steve McCaffery, David Gray Chair Professor of Poetry and Letters, University at Buffalo, coeditor of < i=""> Imagining
Review
An enthralling, scrupulously researched, and elegantly written biography. - < -="" i="" -=""> - Times Literary Supplement - < -="" -=""> - -- (Book of the Year 2011)
Synopsis
When Alfred Jarry died in 1907 at the age of thirty-four, he was a legendary figure in Paris -- but this had more to do with his bohemian lifestyle and scandalous behavior than his literary achievements. A century later, Jarry is firmly established as one of the leading figures of the artistic avant-garde.
Even so, most people today tend to think of Alfred Jarry only as the author of the play Ubu Roi, and of his life as a string of outlandish "ubuesque" anecdotes, often recounted with wild inaccuracy. In this first full-length critical biography of Jarry in English, Alastair Brotchie reconstructs the life of a man intent on inventing (and destroying) himself, not to mention his world, and the "philosophy" that defined their relation.
Brotchie alternates chapters of biographical narrative with chapters that connect themes, obsessions, and undercurrents that relate to the life. The anecdotes remain, and are even augmented: Jarry's assumption of the "ubuesque," his inversions of everyday behavior (such as eating backward, from cheese to soup), his exploits with gun and bicycle, and his herculean feats of drinking. But Brotchie distinguishes between Jarry's purposely playing the fool and deeper nonconformities that appear essential to his writing and his thought, both of which remain a vital subterranean influence to this day.
About the Author
Alastair Brotchie is a founder of the London publishing house Atlas Press, a Regent of the Collège de 'Pataphysique in Paris, and the editor of books and anthologies on Surrealism, Dada, and the Oulipo.