Ubu Roi

· Courier Corporation
5.0
3 reviews
Ebook
80
Pages
Ratings and reviews aren’t verified  Learn More

About this ebook

When it first opened in Paris in late 1896, Ubu Roi immediately outraged audiences with its scatological references and surrealist style. Spectators rioted during the premiere (and final) performance and unrelenting controversy over the play's meaning followed. The quality and stunning impact of the work, however, was never questioned.
Early drafts of the play were written by Jarry in his teens to ridicule one of his teachers. The farce was done in the form of stylized burlesque, satirizing the tendency of the successful bourgeois to abuse his authority and become irresponsibly complacent. Ubu — the cruel, gluttonous, and grotesque main character (the author's metaphor for modern man) — anticipated characteristics of the Dada movement. In the 1920s, Dadaists and Surrealists championed the play, recognizing Ubu Roi as the first absurdist drama.

Ratings and reviews

5.0
3 reviews
Malea Gadoury
February 27, 2014
There is no way this one can be good in any other language than its original. That said, it is the funniest, most absurd book. One of my favorites of all times. Alfred Jarry was a genius.
Did you find this helpful?

About the author

Alfred Jarry, eccentric dramatist, poet, and humorist, was born in Laval, France, in 1873. He was the co-founder, with Remy de Gourmont in 1894, of the magazine L'ymagier, which literally translated is "the maker of prints." This magazine, in existence only two years, presented texts and art images from a number of literary avant-garde artists of the late 19th century. Jarry is perhaps best known for the satirical and farcical play Ubu Roi (King Ubu), the first in a series of Ubu plays, published in 1896. Jarry died in 1907 in Paris.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.