Silly, but I had to finally read it. ( )

یه پارودی از مکبث محسوب می‌شه... نسبت به سال اجرا شدنش که ۱۸۹۶ بوده یه نمایشنامه‌ی آوانگارد محسوب می‌شده و مؤلفه‌های داداییسم و سوررئالیسم رو که بعد از جنگ جهانی اول همه‌گیر می‌شه رو در خودش داره و رو خود جلد هم زده اولین نمایشنامه‌ی ابزورد جهان! و ابزورد هم تا بعد از جنگ دوم جهانی به وجود نمیاد. یه جورایی «تریسترام شندی» ادبیات نمایشیه.
به شدت من رو یاد فیلم‌هایی مثل دیگتاتور یا نمایشنامه‌ی امپراتور جونز یوجین اونیل یا حتی «دموکراسی یا دموقراضه» می‌نداخت. تجربه‌ی باحالیه خوندنش. ( )

It's kindof interesting that Franciszka Themerson illustrated not just one but TWO editions of this Jarry play. I didn't like her 1st version made for New Directions in 1961 that much, I like this one from 9 yrs later more. In the meantime, she designed the stage setting for a Stockholm production in 1964. I mean, either she was really into Ubu Roi or she somehow got pigeonholed as the Ubu Roi visualizer. I'll assume it was the former. Her drawings here, as w/ the ND version, are somewhat deceptively seeming scribbles but there's more to them than one might initially notice. The drawings go outside the comic-bk framing, there are multiple layers & multiple line thicknesses. It seems that she deliberately kept to a 'primitive' style to stay in keeping w/ Jarry's bludgeoningly reductionist parody. I wonder what her style was like otherwise? Did she ever make meticulously rendered drawings for different subjects? Outside of the Ubu Roi context I'm not familiar w/ her at all. ( )

Alfred Jarry is probably in my top 20 favorite writers & this is his most famous bk. It's also one of the ones that I find least interesting. It's basically juvenilia - striking in its clear rebelliousness & biting satire but not necessarily THAT great otherwise. Nonetheless, I HAVE 7 EDITIONS OF THIS - 4 IN ENGLISH, 1 IN SPANISH, & 2 IN FRENCH. & mon Français est minimale (et mauvais) & I don't speak Spanish at all. Each of the editions is interestingly different. This particular New Directions edition is illustrated by Franciszka Themerson & I don't even really like her drawings - but I still like the edition w/ its handwritten text & generally SCRAWLING layout. One of the English editions that I have is translated as "King Turd"! I haven't read that one yet - it claims to be the 1st complete edition of all of Jarry's Ubu writings. ( )

At a time when everything seems absurd, this play casts a shining light on society and government. As long as systems of government are corrupt this, this play will have meaning. ( )