Tag: Alphonse Allais

THE IDIOT GETS A RAVE

“Every time I write about Doug Skinner’s translations of Alphonse Allais – the new one is I Am Sarcey  – I say that Allais’s humor columns and so on ought to be period pieces, historical ephemera, but are better than that, are good.  Still funny; still fun.  This is my only idea about Allais, apparently.  If anything this is even more the case with I Am Sarcey – more ephemeral yet not, but even more so.’

—Wuthering Expectations

CLICK HERE to read the complete review.

And then CLICK HERE and enjoy the book for yourself.

Sarcey and His Muse

Black Scat author and translator Doug Skinner recently informed us about a book of poems he’s reading  by Raoul Ponchon. One  poem in particular struck his fancy as it’s  about the conservative French drama critic  Francisque Sarcey (1827-1899).  The poem — “Our Uncle’s Aunt” — mocks Sarcey,  saying his reviews were influenced by his elderly aunt. Lucien Boucher‘s illustration .is reproduced here.

Sarcey was the frequent  butt of jokes  by artists and writers  in the pages of the bohemian journal Le Chat Noir. But it was  the brilliant humorist Alphonse Allais who took the mockery to  extremes  and single-handedly transformed the critic into an Ubuesque piñata in a series of columns published under Sarcey’s name. This sustained journalistic prank has been  preserved in  I AM SARCEY by Alphonse Allais — compiled and translated by Doug Skinner.

 

This is one of the funniest books we’ve ever published — and that’s saying a lot. If you’re looking for a hilarious example of black humor, don’t miss it.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER ON AMAZON

Just in the click of time….

We’ve done our spring cleaning. LE SCAT NOIR is sporting a new logo and masthead design. (Yes, the journal’s mascot “Scatman” has finally made the front cover.) In addition to our regular features (Adrienne Auvray’s “News in a Nutshell,” Terri Lloyd’s “Dear P.B. advice column,” Doug Skinner’s absurd musical instruments, and Frank Pulaski’s no holds barred horoscopes) this special April Fools  issue includes outstanding fiction by Alphonse Allais, Eckhard Gerdes, Jan Vander Laenen, Jason E. Rolfe, and D. Harlan Wilson; humor by Peter Gambaccini; poetry by Paul Rosheim; and sublime art by Darlene Altschul, Paulo Brito, and Carla M. Wilson.

To celebrate spring and the impeachment of Donald J. Trump, we offer readers a free ticket to the festivities. Finally, our short-lived national nightmare is over. Now we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

CLICK HERE to preview and download the issue.

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OK, that’s your freebie for today…now plunk down your coins for Alphonse Allais‘s new collection, I AM SARCEY.  This is the book Black Scat was born to publish.

Now Available Worldwide on Amazon. CLICK HERE to order.

It’s here!



The book Black Scat was born to publish!


Francisque Sarcey was the most influential drama critic in 1890s Paris — and the most conservative. He famously dismissed Alfred Jarry‘s Ubu Roi as “a filthy fraud that deserves nothing but the silence of contempt.” The brilliant humorist Alphonse Allais transformed Sarcey into an Ubuesque piñata in a series of columns published under Sarcey’s name in the newspaper Le Chat Noir.

The pseudo-Sarcey became a prattling idiot, bragging about his appetite and complaining about his impotence, a memorable comic character who often eclipsed the original. This sustained journalistic prank — compiled and translated by Doug Skinner — is destined to become a classic of black humor.

Add this gem to your collection and celebrate April Fools all year long.

I AM SARCEY
Alphonse Allais
Translated from the French by Doug Skinner
Includes an  introduction and complete notes on the text
$12.95 / trade paperback, 218 pp.,
BUY NOW

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CLICK HERE to view all the titles in our Alphonse Allais Collection.

And here’s a GIFT, the April Fools Issue of LE SCAT NOIR.
PREVIEW AND DOWNLOAD HERE

Think Spring!

idiotLooking ahead (no pun intended) to April, it’s going to be a Scatastic  month. Back in 2013, we issued a little limited edition chapbook titled HOW I BECAME AN IDIOT by Francisque Sarcey. It was actually written by the brilliant French humorist Alphonse Allais, who signed Sarcey’s name to a series of columns that appeared in the bohemian journal Le Chat Noir. Sarcey, a well-known drama critic, became the butt of jokes among the literati for his stodgy, conservative views (e.g., he blasted Alfred Jarry‘s absurdist classic UBU ROI).

Our limited edition sold out quickly, but it was just a sampler. Now Doug Skinner has compiled and translated all the columns in a delicious 200+ paged trade paperback edition: I AM SARCEY.

full-cover

These texts reveal Allais at his wicked best and the book is a must-have for fans of hilarious black humor. This volume marks the seventh title in our Alphonse Allais Collection, and our resident Allais scholar, Doug Skinner, provides a sublime introduction and notes on each text.

Only an idiot would pass up I AM SARCEY when it rolls off the press on April 1st.

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Also on tap is a special (redesigned) April Fools Issue of LE SCAT NOIR. You can download a copy on our web site (BlackScatBooks.net) on April 1st for FREE.

No joke!

Mark your calendars.

april

Happy New Year!

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THE SCAT’S OUT OF THE BAG and we’re starting the New Year off with a BANG —the January issue of Le Scat Noir — crammed with art, fiction, poetry, translations, advice, horoscopes, lists, inspired doodles and detritus. Featuring contributions by an international roster: ALPHONSE ALLAIS, PAULO BRITO, PINK BUDDHA, SIMON CHILD, NORMAN CONQUEST, ECKHARD GERDES,  RUSSELL HELMS,  HAROLD JAFFE, JAN VANDER LAENEN,  TERRI LLOYD, SAMANTHA MEMI, SHEILA PELL, FRANK PULASKI, RON RIEKKI, STEPHEN SILKE, DOUG SKINNER, MADALINA TANTAREANU, TOM WHALEN, & CARLA M. WILSON.

LSN is published monthly by Black Scat Books and is available free online. You can download the new issue  HERE.

Spread the good turd.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A Free Holiday Gift for Scat Lovers!

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The gala December issue of Le Scat Noir is available for download. And did we mention it’s free? Of course we did, but it’s worth repeating: LSN is free for all every month.

#218 features a charming Christmas story by Alphonse Allais and is packed with festive art & texts from an international roster of mischief-makers: Paulo Brito, Pink Buddha, Norman Conquest, Hans Greunke, Terri Lloyd, Frank Pulaski, Jason E. Rolfe, Doug Skinner, and Yuriy Tarnawsky.

Treat yourself to faking news, scatological fare, and those regular features we find so addictive — the monthly horoscopes, gas from the past,  absurd musical instruments, and uplifting advice for folks down in the dumps.

So what are you waiting for? Click now and unwrap your gift. And be sure to share with friends and loved ones — spread the good Scat!

LSN.
It’s like SNL, only scrambled and wiser.

Happy Holidays!

“Waiter — another Alphonse Allais — on the double!”

front

Black Scat Books is proud to serve up the master absurdist’s inaugural collection,  containing his hand-picked favorites from the pages of Le Chat Noir, the bohemian journal that amused and scandalized Paris. Here you’ll find Allais in the first flush of his comic genius, spinning out elegant and hilarious gems of black humor on suicide, murder, obsession, and adultery. You will meet the philosophical cuckold, the young lady in love with a pig, the inventor of the Tumultoscope, and Ferdinand, the most resourceful duck in literature. Among the highlights is Allais’s most famous story, “A Thoroughly Parisian Drama,” a favorite of André Breton and Umberto Eco. This is the book’s first publication in English, and features seven additional stories from Le Chat Noir, as well as a sublime introduction, notes on the text, and drawings by Doug Skinner.

Belly laughs guaranteed.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER ON AMAZON

OBSESSION

16-cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BLACK SCAT REVIEW #16: The Obsession Issue. Featuring works by Alphonse Allais, Adrienne Auvray, Paulo Brito, Violet Capers, S.C. Delaney, Tony Duvert, Farewell Debut, William L. Gibson, Rachel Greenberg, Arya F. Jenkins, Samantha Memi, Agnès Potier, Mercie Pedro e Silva, Doug Skinner, and Greg Autry Wallace.  [cover photograph by Farewell Debut]

CLICK HERE to buy.