A review by thecommonswings
Exploits & Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician by Alfred Jarry, Roger Shattuck

5.0

Frankly dazzling - it’s hugely enjoyable just as a proto-surrealist novel, with ideas and concepts thrown together with such gusto it’s no surprise the surrealists loved him (he even seems to predict Tzara and Ball’s poetry at one point); it’s also stunningly clever and has one of the most thoughtful introductions, translations and notes I have ever seen which all combine to show how much intelligence and thought has gone into something as seemingly dumb as the dogfaced baboon assistant. That it’s also creating pataphysics whilst also not just titting about in the margins of actual science but seemingly is in dialogue with it is even more astonishing

It’s sharp, pithy, howlingly funny, incredibly clever and wonderfully sly. Jarry is the real deal and this edition is a perfect introduction to his brilliance