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The life and work of Alfred Jarry, both of which are enigmatic, complex, and at times undecipherable, mark a watershed in French theatrical history. Jarry's best-known play, Ubu Roi (1896; translated as Ubu Roi, 1951), was a revolutionary work that introduced the character of Ubu, and the Jarry/Ubu identity has defined the directions of contemporary theater for much of the twentieth century. While there are three plays in the Ubu cycle--Ubu Roi, Ubu Enchaîné (1900; translated as King Turd Enslaved, 1953), and Ubu Cocu (1944; translated as Turd Cuckolded, 1953)--there is in essence only one Ubu, whose identity is entwined with the Jarry mystery and mythology. The importance of Jarry and his writing owes much to the writers and artists who came after him, such as Guillaume Apollinaire and the Surrealists, Antonin Artaud and Roger Vitrac, and those whom theater critic and historian Martin Esslin named the Absurdists, as well as the members of the College de 'Pataphysique (College of 'Pataphysics), a group of scholars and thinkers deeply indebted to Jarry's groundbreaking work.
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