Alfred Jarry

Born in Laval, France, Alfred Jarry's early life proved interesting and inspirational. His family was somewhat unstable--his father was an alcoholism, and his mother's family had a history madness and institutionalization. When Jarry was 15, he attended school and first engaged in writing parody (his science teacher became the inspiration for his famous Ubu Roi). He moved to Paris when he was 17, hoping to attend École Normale Supérieure. He was not accepted, and in fact failed the entrance exams several times. He did, however, continue writing, and gained some fame in the symbolist literary circles of Paris.

In 1893, Jarry published his first literary collection, Les minutes de sable mémorial (The Minutes of Sand Memorial). He was also stricken with influenza, and while Jarry recovered, within two years both of his parents had succumbed to the illness. Jarry quickly squandered his inheritance. Famously, he discovered his "green goddess" absinthe, and stories abounded of his bizarre behavior while under the influence of the drink.

Jarry's first major play was Caesar Antichrist, a symbolist and absurd work using figures from the Bible, specifically the Book of Revelation. Significantly, his "Ubu" character (created during his school days to mock his science teacher), appears. Jarry mixed history, religion, symbols, and poetry to create a crude and even offensive play. In the spring of 1896, Jarry published his most significant work in a literary magazine: Ubu Roi. It was not performed until December of that year, and was thought to be unstageable, but the Théâtre de l'Œuvre and director Aurélien-Marie Lugné-Poe took a chance. The opening night production was stopped only 15 minutes in, and while it eventually resumed, that performance was the only staging during Jarry's lifetime.

Following the "Ubu Riots," Jarry had new fame. He created the concept of "pataphysics," an ambiguous philosophy intended to parody science while extolling the importance of symbolist ideas. His novel Exploits and Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician (published after Jarry's death) used parodies of scientific jargon and experimentation. The book became a seminal text for surrealism. He also delved into puppetry and marionnettes for some of his work, including Ubu Roi.

By the time of his death, and despite his literary output and fame, Jarry was in poverty and poor health, exacerbated by his drinking and drug use. If he could not afford alcohol, he drank ether. In 1907, Jarry died in Paris of tuberculosis. Subsequent artists--especially those involved in the surrealist movement--were fascinated with Jarry, including Pablo Picasso.