Rupert Owen reviewed The supermale = by Alfred Jarry (A New Directions book)
Review of 'The supermale =' on 'GoodReads'
5 stars
Having gleaned the reviews already on here about Alfred Jarry's The Supermale, I don't feel I really need to add much more. I will say however that I deeply enjoyed this work, it has the same anti-erotic absurd verve as Visits of Love, and in many ways experiments with the same themes. Like Shaw's Superman this is a character portrait that draws upon the Don Juan theme, except Jarry has fused it with Baron Munchausen, only to then give it the complete Ubu make-over. I will surely need to read this book again, if only to understand more thoroughly the metaphysics at work, especially concerning the philosophical views of Theophrastus. The level I read it at allowed for the luxurious imagery of the absurd to prick my senses - the ten thousand mile race fuelled by a super food (alcohol), seven nude tarts crashing through a window only to be …
Having gleaned the reviews already on here about Alfred Jarry's The Supermale, I don't feel I really need to add much more. I will say however that I deeply enjoyed this work, it has the same anti-erotic absurd verve as Visits of Love, and in many ways experiments with the same themes. Like Shaw's Superman this is a character portrait that draws upon the Don Juan theme, except Jarry has fused it with Baron Munchausen, only to then give it the complete Ubu make-over. I will surely need to read this book again, if only to understand more thoroughly the metaphysics at work, especially concerning the philosophical views of Theophrastus. The level I read it at allowed for the luxurious imagery of the absurd to prick my senses - the ten thousand mile race fuelled by a super food (alcohol), seven nude tarts crashing through a window only to be tamed by a gramophone embedded amongst an arrangement of roses, and many other delights that Jarry has buried within the story. It will amuse and if not it will tickle your curiosity buds.