''Sartre's Sink'' is a literary pastiche in the form of a

do it yourself "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi ...

handbook. It contains advice about how to undertake 14 common household tasks each written in the style of a famous author from history. ''Sartre's Sink'' is the second book by photographer and author

Mark Crick Mark Crick is a British photographer and author, best known for his literary parodies ''Kafka's Soup'' and '' Sartre's Sink'', in which he presents recipes and DIY tips in the style of famous literary writers. Mark Crick is married to Fiona Simmo ...

. Excerpts have appeared in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' and the '' Evening Herald''. The book includes chapters on how to; bleed a radiator by

Emily Brontë Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel, ''Wuthering Heights'', now considered a classic of English literature. She also published a book of poet ...

, tile a bathroom by

Fyodor Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

, hang wallpaper by Hemingway, unblock a sink by Sartre, repair a dripping tap with Marguerite Duras, put up a garden fence with

Hunter S Thompson Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author who founded the gonzo journalism movement. He rose to prominence with the publication of '' Hell's Angels'' (1967), a book for which he s ...

, paint a panelled door with

Anaïs Nin Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell (February 11, 1903 – January 14, 1977; , ) was a French-born American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica. Born to Cuban parents in France, Nin was the d ...

, re-glaze a window with

Milan Kundera Milan Kundera (, ; born 1 April 1929) is a Czech writer who went into exile in France in 1975, becoming a naturalised French citizen in 1981. Kundera's Czechoslovak citizenship was revoked in 1979, then conferred again in 2019. He "sees himself ...

, board an attic with

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

, loosen a stuck drawer with

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...

and how to paint a room with

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been bestsellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for his ...

. Other parodied authors include

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...

and

Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and short story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in t ...

. Mark Crick says that he found Dostoyevsky the most difficult author to parody. As with his previous work, ''Sartre's Sink'' is illustrated with paintings by the author in the style of a number of famous artists including

van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inclu ...

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

, Magritte and Turner. Carolyn Kellogg of the ''

LA Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' noted that the book was "only marginally instructive". ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'' felt that the subject matter of ''Sartre's Sink'' was "not as interesting" as that of Crick's earlier book ''

Kafka's Soup ''Kafka's Soup'' is a literary pastiche in the form of a cookbook. It contains 14 recipes each written in the style of a famous author from history. As of 2007 it had been translated into 18 languages and published in 27 countries. Excerpts from th ...

''. However, the editor nonetheless believed that the quality of the pastiche was equal to that of the earlier book calling both books "a gem". Roy Williams of ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

'' called it "a minor masterpiece" naming painting the panelled door and putting up the garden fence as his particular favourites. Ian Sansom of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' called it "hands-down droll". Nicolas d'Estienne d'Orves of ''

Le Figaro ''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of reco ...

'' called it "Irresistible". ''Sartre's Sink'' was named ''

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' humour book of the year 2008.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite news , title= Take my advice , author= Roy Williams , url= http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/take-my-advice/story-e6frg8n6-1111118429871 , newspaper= The Australian , date= 3 January 2009 , access-date=29 May 2011 {{cite news , title= La Baignoire de Goethe , author= Nicolas d'Estienne d'Orves , url= http://www.lefigaro.fr/lefigaromagazine/2009/01/03/01006-20090103ARTFIG00038--la-baignoire-de-goethe-.php , newspaper= Le Figaro , date= 2 January 2009 , access-date=29 May 2011 In French {{cite news , title=Brick lit , author=Rosie Blau , url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1c3d627c-c8b6-11dd-b86f-000077b07658.html#axzz1aOzYkqoO , newspaper=Financial Times , date=13 December 2008 , access-date=11 October 2011 {{cite news , title= Crackers for all , author= Ian Sansom , url= https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/dec/13/stocking-fillers-books , newspaper= Guardian , date= 13 December 2008 , access-date=29 May 2011 {{cite news , title= The great writers' guide to DIY , url= http://www.herald.ie/lifestyle/the-great-writers-guide-to-diy-1512220.html , newspaper= Evening Herald , date= 29 October 2009 , access-date=29 May 2011 {{cite news , title= The great writers' guide to DIY , url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/the-great-writers-guide-to-diy-974164.html , newspaper= Independent , date= 27 October 2008 , access-date=29 May 2011 {{cite news , title= A Perfect Recipe for Enjoyment , url= http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081107/jsp/opinion/story_10072338.jsp , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121026074523/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081107/jsp/opinion/story_10072338.jsp , url-status= dead , archive-date= October 26, 2012 , newspaper= The Telegraph (Kolkata) , date= 7 November 2008 , access-date=29 May 2011 {{cite news , title= Hemingway's home repair , author= Carolyn Kellogg , url= http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2008/10/hemingways-home.html , newspaper= LA Times , date= 30 October 2008 , access-date=29 May 2011 {{cite news , title= Sartre sinks in for Mark Crick , author= Will Gore , url= http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/leisure/4347433.Sartre_sinks_in_for_Mark_Crick/ , newspaper= Surrey Comet , date= 6 May 2009 , access-date= 27 May 2011 , url-status= dead , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110929210431/http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/leisure/4347433.Sartre_sinks_in_for_Mark_Crick/ , archive-date= 29 September 2011 {{cite news , title= Sartre's Sink: The Great Writers' Complete Book of DIY by Mark Crick , url= http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/non-fiction/article5247216.ece , newspaper= Sunday Times , date= 30 November 2008 , access-date=29 May 2011 , postscript=. {{subscription required, date=December 2011.

External links

Video of Mark Crick performing sections from ''Sartre's Sink''
Parody books Do it yourself 2008 non-fiction books Cultural depictions of writers Cultural depictions of Jean-Paul Sartre Cultural depictions of Ernest Hemingway Cultural depictions of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Cultural depictions of Edgar Allan Poe