After breaking with the Surrealists, Antonin Artaud and Roger Vitrac formed Le Théâtre Alfred Jarry, taking inspiration from Jarry’s antinaturalist theatrical philosophy and the burlesque brutality of performance inherent in Ubu roi. This booklet, which served as a manifesto as well as a complete history of the company, appeared just after hostile reactions in the press and among their peers had caused the group to disband. The section documenting critics’ blurbs used quotations from both real and fictional reviews (a few opinions were attributed to Père Ubu).
Antonin Artaud (1896–1948) and Roger Vitrac (1899–1952), Le Théâtre Alfred Jarry et l’hostilité publique, cover illustration by G.-L. Roux (1904–1988) [Paris: s.n., 1930]. The Morgan Library & Museum, purchased for the Robert J. and Linda Klieger Stillman Pataphysics Collection on the Gordon N. Ray Fund, 2017. PML 197100.