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Joseph Pujol (June 1, 1857 – August 8, 1945), better known by his
stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
Le Pétomane (, ), was a French flatulist (professional fartist) and entertainer. He was famous for his remarkable control of the abdominal muscles, which enabled him to seemingly fart at will. His stage name combines the French verb ''péter'', "to fart" with the -''mane'', "-
mania Mania, also known as manic syndrome, is a Psychiatry, psychiatric Abnormality (behavior), behavioral syndrome defined as a state of Abnormality (behavior), abnormally elevated arousal, affect (psychology), affect, and energy level. During a mani ...
c" suffix, which translates to "fartomaniac". The profession is referred to as "flatulist", "farteur", or "fartiste". It was a common misconception that Pujol passed intestinal gas as part of his stage performance. Rather, he was allegedly able to "inhale" or move air into his rectum and then control the release of that air with his anal sphincter muscles. Evidence of his ability to control those muscles was seen in the early accounts of demonstrations of his abilities to fellow soldiers.


Early life, family and education

Joseph Pujol was born in
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
, one of five children of stonemason and sculptor François Pujol and his wife Rose, in a family of Catalan origin. Soon after Joseph left school, he had a strange experience while swimming in the sea. He put his head under the water and held his breath, whereupon he felt an icy cold penetrating his rear. He ran ashore in fright and was amazed to sense water pouring from his anus. While serving in the army, he told his fellow soldiers about his special ability, and repeated it for their amusement, sucking up water from a pan into his rectum and then projecting it up to several yards. He found that he could suck in air as well.


Career

Pujol trained as a baker. He would sometimes entertain his customers by imitating musical instruments and claiming to be playing them behind the counter. Pujol decided to try the stage, and debuted in Marseilles in 1887. When his act was well received, he moved to
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, where he appeared at the Moulin Rouge in 1892. Some of the highlights of his stage act involved sound effects of cannon fire and thunderstorms, as well as playing " 'O Sole Mio" and " La Marseillaise" on an ocarina through a rubber tube in his anus. He could also blow out a candle from several yards away. His audience included Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, King Leopold II of the
Belgians Belgians ( ; ; ) are people identified with the Kingdom of Belgium, a federal state in Western Europe. As Belgium is a multinational state, this connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural rather than ethnic. The majority ...
, and
Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...
. In 1894, the managers of the Moulin Rouge sued Pujol for an impromptu exhibition he gave to aid a friend struggling with economic difficulties. Pujol was fined 3,000 francs (equivalent to Ff in 2022). The Moulin Rouge lost their star attraction, as the disagreement led him to set up his own travelling show, the Theatre Pompadour. In the following decade Pujol tried to 'refine' and make his acts 'gentler'; one of his favourite numbers became a rhyme about a farm which he himself composed, and which he punctuated with anal renditions of the animals' sounds. With the outbreak of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Pujol retired from the stage and returned to his bakery in Marseilles. Later, he opened a biscuit factory in
Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...
.


Personal life and demise

Pujol died in 1945, aged 88. He was buried in the cemetery of La Valette-du-Var, where his grave can still be seen.


Legacy

Le Pétomane left an enduring legacy and has inspired a number of artistic works. These include several musicals based on his life, such as ''The Fartiste'' (awarded Best Musical at the 2006 New York International Fringe Festival) and Seth Rozin's ''A Passing Wind'' which was premiered at the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts in 2011. In addition, Le Pétomane was added to David Lee's 2007 reworked revival of the 1953 Broadway play '' Can-Can'', which had originally been written by Abe Burroughs and Cole Porter. The updated play, staged at the Pasadena Playhouse, featured musical theatre actor Robert Yacko as the fartiste, with sound effects provided by the band's trombone and piccolo players. The character has been portrayed several times in film. In 1979 Ian MacNaughton made '' Le Pétomane'', a short humorous film. Written by Galton and Simpson, it was based on Joseph Pujol's story and stars veteran comic actor Leonard Rossiter. The 1983 Italian movie '' Il Petomane'', directed by
Pasquale Festa Campanile Pasquale Festa Campanile (28 July 1927 – 25 February 1986) was an Italian screenwriter, film director and novelist, best known as a prominent exponent of the ''commedia all'italiana'' genre. Life and career Born at Melfi, in the prov ...
and starring Ugo Tognazzi, gives a poetic rendition of the character, contrasting his deep longing for normality with the condition of 'freak' to which his act relegated him. The 1998 documentary ''Le Pétomane'' by Igor Vamos examines Pujol's place in history through archival films (none of which actually include him), historical documents, photographs, recreations and fake or tongue-in-cheek interviews. Le Pétomane is referenced in '' Blazing Saddles'', a 1974 satirical Western comedy film directed by
Mel Brooks Melvin James Brooks (né Kaminsky; born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and songwriter. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodie ...
. Brooks appears in multiple supporting roles, including the dim-witted Governor William J. Le Petomane, whose name suggests he is full of hot air. ''Le Petoman'' (without the , because English-speaking audiences will pronounce differently from ) was adapted for the theatre in 2001 by Tony Stowers, from the book ''Le Petomane 1857–1945'' by J. Nohain & F. Caradec. It was declined by Hull Truck, Salisbury Playhouse and the National Theatre in the UK on the grounds that they felt their audiences would be 'too sophisticated' for the subject matter. It was read in English in
Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...
in 2005, in Paris in 2010, and in
Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
(in French); in June 2023, it finally made it to the stage with amateur actors.


See also

*
Flatulence humor Flatulence humor (more commonly known as fart jokes) is a form of toilet humor that refers to flatulence. It can take the form of to any type of joke, practical joke device, or other off-color humor . History Although it is likely that flatulen ...
* Mr. Methane * Roland the Farter * Toilet humour


References

Notes


Further reading

* Moore, Alison (February 2013) "The Spectacular Anus of Joseph Pujol: Recovering the Pétomane's Unique Historic Context" ''French Cultural Studies'' v.24, n.1, pp. 27–43. * Nohain, Jean and Caradec, F. (1993) 967''Le Pétomane 1857–1945: A Tribute to the Unique Act Which Shook and Shattered the Moulin Rouge''. Translated by Warren Tute. New York: Dorset Press ; originally published by Sherbourne Press.


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Petomane, Le 1857 births 1945 deaths 19th-century French people 20th-century French people French male entertainers Entertainers from Marseille Flatulists Articles containing video clips