archy and mehitabel
For anyone who does know who archy and mehitabel are, they are a cockroach and a cat. Both of my parents, independently, told me how much they enjoyed this book named after them.
"You should read it," they both said. "It's really good. " But I ignored them until a few years ago when I finally ran across the book at my mother's house. Then I got hooked. I read some of it aloud one day at work, and the director of human resources still likes to call me "archy." I'll take it.
Archy is a cockroach who crawled up on the Don Marquis', the reporter's, typewriter after hours (this book came out in 1916), and, only being able to hit one key at once, can use no capitalization and no punctuation. Archy reports that he is a reincarnated "free verse poet," so he writes these delightful poems describing a cockroach's view of local and world affairs and philosophies. It's amazing how you can read archy and mehitabel aloud with no punctuation and it makes sense. And more amazing, that it is still funny after so many years. His friend mehitabel, the cat, I believe, was Cleopatra in a former life.
FYI, there's at least one poem about "transmigration of souls," I presume a popular philosphy of the day, but it's still just as funny today.
I had not paid any attention to either of my parents' recommendations of the book, but later found it precious that they both loved this book. Since they divorced when I was 10, they were not together, obviously, and I was not able to enjoy my father at home for the rest of my life, except when visiting. Since discovering this book was something that delighted them both I found a rare pleasure in that fact.
Children from divorced families many times hope and pray for their parents to get back together, and, when that does not happen, they find pleasure in believing, at least, that their parents loved each other once upon a time. That was the case in my life, anyway. So, I still delight in the fact that this was something my parents shared when they were young, and, later on, when I discovered it, I I loved it too. Hope you get a chance to enjoy archy and mehitabel, too.
Check it out:
http://www.donmarquis.com/archy/
"You should read it," they both said. "It's really good. " But I ignored them until a few years ago when I finally ran across the book at my mother's house. Then I got hooked. I read some of it aloud one day at work, and the director of human resources still likes to call me "archy." I'll take it.
Archy is a cockroach who crawled up on the Don Marquis', the reporter's, typewriter after hours (this book came out in 1916), and, only being able to hit one key at once, can use no capitalization and no punctuation. Archy reports that he is a reincarnated "free verse poet," so he writes these delightful poems describing a cockroach's view of local and world affairs and philosophies. It's amazing how you can read archy and mehitabel aloud with no punctuation and it makes sense. And more amazing, that it is still funny after so many years. His friend mehitabel, the cat, I believe, was Cleopatra in a former life.
FYI, there's at least one poem about "transmigration of souls," I presume a popular philosphy of the day, but it's still just as funny today.
I had not paid any attention to either of my parents' recommendations of the book, but later found it precious that they both loved this book. Since they divorced when I was 10, they were not together, obviously, and I was not able to enjoy my father at home for the rest of my life, except when visiting. Since discovering this book was something that delighted them both I found a rare pleasure in that fact.
Children from divorced families many times hope and pray for their parents to get back together, and, when that does not happen, they find pleasure in believing, at least, that their parents loved each other once upon a time. That was the case in my life, anyway. So, I still delight in the fact that this was something my parents shared when they were young, and, later on, when I discovered it, I I loved it too. Hope you get a chance to enjoy archy and mehitabel, too.
Check it out:
http://www.donmarquis.com/archy/
Comments
Post a Comment