Alphonse Allais (20 October 1854 – 28 October 1905) was a French writer, journalist and

humorist A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business e ...

Life

Allais was born in

Honfleur Honfleur () is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. The people that inhabit Honf ...

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Nor ...

. He died in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Work

He is the author of many collections of whimsical writings. A poet as much as a humorist, he cultivated the verse form known as holorhyme (all verses are homophonous, where entire lines are pronounced the same). For example:

Par les bois du djinn où s'entasse de l'effroi,
Parle et bois du gin, ou cent tasses de lait froid.

Allais wrote the earliest known example of a completely silent musical composition. His ''Funeral March for the Obsequies of a Great Deaf Man'' of 1897 consists of 24 blank measures. It predates similarly silent but intellectually serious works by John Cage and

Erwin Schulhoff Erwin Schulhoff ( cs, Ervín Šulhov; 8 June 189418 August 1942) was an Austro-Czech composer and pianist. He was one of the figures in the generation of European musicians whose successful careers were prematurely terminated by the rise of the ...

by many years. His prose piece "Story for Sara" was translated and illustrated by

Edward Gorey Edward St. John Gorey (February 22, 1925 – April 15, 2000) was an American writer, Tony Award-winning costume designer, and artist, noted for his own illustrated books as well as cover art and illustration for books by other writers. Hi ...

. Allais participated in humorous exhibitions, including those of the Salon des Arts Incohérents of 1883 and 1884, held at the

Galerie Vivienne The Galerie Vivienne is one of the covered passages of Paris, France, located in the 2nd arrondissement. It is long and wide. The gallery has been registered as a historical monument since 7 July 1974. History The gallery was built in 1823 b ...

. At these, inspired by his friend

Paul Bilhaud Paul Bilhaud (31 December 1854 – 8 January 1933) was a French playwright and librettist. An old friend of the author Alphonse Allais, he is remembered along his friend as a forerunner of minimalism with his painting ''Combat de nègres pendan ...

's 1882 exhibit of an entirely black painting entitled "Negroes fight in a tunnel" (which he later reproduced with a slightly different title), Allais exhibited arguably some of the earliest examples of

monochrome painting Monochromatic painting has been an important component of avant-garde visual art throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century. Painters have created the exploration of one color, examining values changing across a surface, texture, and n ...

: for instance his plain white sheet of Bristol paper '' (First Communion of Anemic Young Girls In The Snow)'' (1883), and a similar red work ''Apoplectic Cardinals Harvesting Tomatoes on the Shore of the Red Sea (Aurora Borealis Effect)'' (1884). Allais published his '' Album primo-avrilesque'' in 1897, a monograph with seven monochrome artworks, accompanied by the score of his silent funeral march. (Bilhaud was not the first to create an all-black artwork: for example,

Robert Fludd Robert Fludd, also known as Robertus de Fluctibus (17 January 1574 – 8 September 1637), was a prominent English Paracelsian physician with both scientific and occult interests. He is remembered as an astrologer, mathematician, cosmologis ...

published an image of "Darkness" in his 1617 book on the origin and structure of the cosmos; and

Bertall Charles Albert d'Arnoux (Charles Constant Albert Nicolas, Vicomte d'Arnoux, Count of Limoges-Saint-Saëns), known as ''Bertall'' (or Bertal, an anagram of Albert) or Tortu-Goth (December 18, 1820 in Paris – March 24, 1882 in Soyons) was a Fren ...

published his black ''Vue de La Hogue (effet de nuit)'' in 1843.) However, Allais's activity bears more similarity to 20th century

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Pari ...

, or

Neo-Dada Neo-Dada was a movement with audio, visual and literary manifestations that had similarities in method or intent with earlier Dada artwork. It sought to close the gap between art and daily life, and was a combination of playfulness, iconoclasm, a ...

, and particularly the works of the

Fluxus Fluxus was an international, interdisciplinary community of artists, composers, designers and poets during the 1960s and 1970s who engaged in experimental art performances which emphasized the artistic process over the finished product. Fluxus ...

group of the 1960s, than to 20th century monochrome painting since Malevich. While consuming absinthe at café tables, Allais wrote 1600 newspaper and magazine pieces, and co-founded the Club of the Hydropaths (those allergic to water). He was a journalist, columnist and editor as well. A film based on his novel ''L'Affaire Blaireau'' appeared in 1958 as '' Neither Seen Nor Recognized ''. Earlier versions with the same title as the original novel appeared in

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

and

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hiro ...

Miles Kington Miles Beresford Kington (13 May 1941 – 30 January 2008) was a British journalist, musician (a double bass player for Instant Sunshine and other groups) and broadcaster. He is also credited with the invention of Franglais, a fictional language, ...

, humorous writer and musician, translated some of Allais' pieces into idiomatic English as ''The World of Alphonse Allais'' (UK). In the United States,

Doug Skinner Doug Skinner (born January 7, 1955) is an American composer, writer, and performer. Music Skinner has written music for many dance companies, including ODC/Dance in San Francisco and Margaret Jenkins. He has often written for the theater: in pa ...

has translated twelve books by Allais, including ''Captain Cap'' and his only novel.

has a street, ''rue Alphonse Allais'', and a school, ''Collège Alphonse Allais'', named for him. There is a ''Place Alphonse-Allais'' in the 20th arrondissement of Paris. The ''Académie Alphonse-Allais'' has awarded an annual prize, the ''Prix Alphonse-Allais'', in his honor since 1954.

Museum

The Alphonse Allais Museum, also called Le Petit Musée, in Honfleur, claiming to be the smallest museum in France (8 m²), consists of a small collection of "rarities", including the skull of

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...

at age seventeen and a true piece of a False Cross (''cf.''

True Cross The True Cross is the cross upon which Jesus was said to have been crucified, particularly as an object of religious veneration. There are no early accounts that the apostles or early Christians preserved the physical cross themselves, althoug ...

), as well as inventions such as a special Chinese teacup made for left-handed people (cf. ''

chawan A ''chawan'' (; literally "tea bowl") is a bowl used for preparing and drinking tea. Many types of ''chawan'' are used in East Asian tea ceremonies. The choice of their use depends upon many considerations. History The ''chawan'' originated i ...

''), blue, white, and red starch to keep flags flying when there is no wind, black

confetti Confetti are small pieces or streamers of paper, mylar, or metallic material which are usually thrown at celebrations, especially parades and weddings. The origins are from the Latin ''confectum'', with ''confetti'' the plural of Italian ''co ...

for widows, and so on. The museum was founded on the second floor in Allais' parents' pharmacy in 1999 by the owner of the pharmacy, and moved to a new location in 2019 (rue des Petites boucheries).

Organizations

Two non-profit organizations celebrate Allais: * The Association des Amis d'Alphonse Allais (AAAA), founded in 1934, manages the Allais Museum and promotes young humorists who follow in the spirit of Allais. * The Académie Alphonse Allais, created in 1954, Allais' 100th birthday, by

Henri Jeanson Henri Jules Louis Jeanson (6 March 1900 in Paris – 6 November 1970 in Équemauville) was a French writer and journalist. He was a "satrap" in the "College of 'Pataphysics". As a journalist before World War II Jeanson was born on 6 March ...

, like the Académie française, names new members annually and sponsors the "Alphonse Allais" literary prize.

Principal works

*', 1891 *', 1892 *', 1895 *', 1898 *''L'Affaire Blaireau'' (The Blaireau Case), 1899 *' (literally ''Let's not hit each other''), 1900

English translations

;Published in the US: *''Loves, Delights, & Organs''. Translated by

(Black Scat Books, , 2022) *''2 + 2 = 5''. Translated by

(Black Scat Books, , 2021) *''Pink and Apple-Green''. Translated by Doug Skinner (Black Scat Books, , 2020) *''The Alphonse Allais Reader''. Compiled and translated by Doug Skinner (Black Scat Books, , 2018) *''No Bile!''. Translated by Doug Skinner (Black Scat Books, , 2018) *''Masks''. Translated & illustrated by Norman Conquest (Absurdist Texts & Documents #1), , 2018) *''Long Live Life!''. Translated by Doug Skinner (Black Scat Books, , 2017) *''I Am Sarcey''. Translated by Doug Skinner (Black Scat Books, , 2017) *''Double Over''. Translated by Doug Skinner (Black Scat Books, , 2016) *''The Blaireau Affair''. Translated by Doug Skinner (Black Scat Books, , 2015) *''The Squadron's Umbrella''. Translated by Doug Skinner (Black Scat Books, , 2015) *''Selected Plays of Alphonse Allais''. Translated by Doug Skinner (Black Scat Books, , 2014) *''Captain Cap: His Adventures, His Ideas, His Drinks''. Translated by Doug Skinner (Black Scat Books, , 2013) *''Captain Cap: Vol. I''. Translated by Doug Skinner (Black Scat Books: Absurdist Texts & Documents Series No. 11, 2013) *''Captain Cap: Vol. II: The Apparent Symbiosis Between the Boa and Giraffe''. Translated by Doug Skinner (Black Scat Books: Absurdist Texts & Documents Series No. 14, 2013) *''Captain Cap: Vol. III: The Antifilter & Other Inventions''. Translated by Doug Skinner (Black Scat Books: Absurdist Texts & Documents Series No. 17, 2013) *''Captain Cap: Vol. IV: The Sanatorium of the Future''. Translated by Doug Skinner (Black Scat Books: Absurdist Texts & Documents Series No. 20, 2013) *''How I Became an Idiot by Francisque Sarcey (Alphonse Allais)''. Translated by Doug Skinner (Black Scat Books: Absurdist Texts & Documents - Interim Edition No. 00, 2013) *''The Adventures of Captain Cap''. Translated by

Brian Stableford Brian Michael Stableford (born 25 July 1948) is a British academic, critic and science fiction writer who has published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published under the name Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped ...

(Black Coat Press, , 2013)

Notes

References

External links

Association des Amis d'Alphonse Allais

Académie Alphonse Allais
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Allais, Alphonse 1854 births 1905 deaths People from Honfleur Writers from Normandy 19th-century French poets French humorists Minimalist composers French male poets 19th-century French male writers