Rating: 
Summary: funny zen cockroach poetry
Review: don marquis, a newspaper columnist, claimed that some mornings he used to find poetry and essays in his typewriter (this was way before wordprocessing) written by a former free-verse poet (sort of a 1910s variation on a beatnik) who had been reincarnated as a cockroach named archy and thus was condemned to write by diving into the keyboard one letter at a time. and no shift key, so no capitalization. so these newspaper columns looked a little like this. i used to wonder how archy work the return key at the end of the lines but I guess he got mehitabel to help. mehitabel is archy's friend and antagonist, an alley cat of great pretensions and charm. all of this sounds awfully coy, i know, like one of those hideous mystery novels where somebody's pet chihuahua solves the crime. but it isn't. it is sad and strange and very funny, especially on the subjects of writing, new york, and poverty. fans of george herriman (artist and writer of "krazy kat") especially should check this out. one of life's lower-case pleasures.
Rating:
Summary: A classic that deserves a wider audience.
Review: Don Marquis, a still mysterious figure in American Literature, created these stories/poems for his column in a newspaper in the early twentieth century. They are "written" by Archy, a cockroach, who types them out by jumping from key to key on Mr. Marquis' typewriter. Of course, he can't use the shift key so these pieces are without capitals and (mostly) without punctuation. Marquis imaginatively conjures a view of the world from an insect's perspective, humourously commenting on then-current events and the human condition in general. The topical nature of this material will probably make it uninteresting for all but the most mature juvenile readers, but adults will surely respond to Marquis' gentle and insightful humor.
Rating:
Summary: Can a cat and a cockroach be friends?
Review: I am now in my 70's and am ordering this book for my son. I have just been remembering the wonderful books in my past and want them to continue to live. I might just order a copy for myself, too.
Rating:
Summary: archy & mehitabel
Review: I am now in my 70's and am ordering this book for my son. I have just been remembering the wonderful books in my past and want them to continue to live. I might just order a copy for myself, too.
Rating:
Summary: A cockroach I'd really like to meet.
Review: I heartily agree with other reviewers' sentiments that "Archy" is deserving of a wider audience and warrants greater appreciation as a part of our past popular culture. Don Marquis' humor is sharp and not antiquated in the least, though some of the references to contemporary personalities or events of the day are often rendered a bit obscure.As a writer I am sometimes envious of the almost effortless way he can turn a very clever phrase. Despite the impossibility of Archy the cockroach EVER being able to use an 1920's manual typewriter, lower case letters or not, I still think he must live somewhere in actuality; perhaps reincarnated once again as a free verse poet!
Rating:
Summary: A cockroach I'd really like to meet.
Review: I heartily agree with other reviewers' sentiments that "Archy" is deserving of a wider audience and warrants greater appreciation as a part of our past popular culture. Don Marquis' humor is sharp and not antiquated in the least, though some of the references to contemporary personalities or events of the day are often rendered a bit obscure. As a writer I am sometimes envious of the almost effortless way he can turn a very clever phrase. Despite the impossibility of Archy the cockroach EVER being able to use an 1920's manual typewriter, lower case letters or not, I still think he must live somewhere in actuality; perhaps reincarnated once again as a free verse poet!
Rating:
Summary: A Relatively Unkown American Humor Classic
Review: I've done humorous writing about animals myself (most recently, Scratching the 'Net: Web Sites for Cats) and I think I've packed in some laughs. But Archy and Mehitabel, while very funny, rises above the level of mere humor to be quite touching. Having a common cockroach, which we ordinarily think of as disgusting, as the hero is a brilliant device. This viewpoint allowed Marquis to write in a way that was very emotional and sentimental but never became saccharine. Do yourself and favor and discover a wonderfully unique humor reading experience.
Rating:
Summary: marquis
Review: marquis is to humor
what lord
of the rings
is to fantasy
Rating:
Summary: ".....transmigration is the game..."
Review: metthinks
the vers libre of
archy literate cockroach
and mehitabel krazy kat s kouzin
are amazing and amuzing
good thing amazon.com has most
of the cocroaches volume via marquis herriman s drawings captures
marquises tone and surrreality
and hyperreality perfectly
like a cross between a glorious
post apocalypse a goofy sat
morning cartoon and an unkept roadside
chuck wagon i believe we
all should keep
cockroach farms just in
case just in
case ygsgs
Rating:
Summary: ".....transmigration is the game..."
Review: metthinks
the vers libre of
archy literate cockroach
and mehitabel krazy kat s kouzin
are amazing and amuzing
good thing amazon.com has most
of the cocroaches volume via marquis herriman s drawings captures
marquises tone and surrreality
and hyperreality perfectly
like a cross between a glorious
post apocalypse a goofy sat
morning cartoon and an unkept roadside
chuck wagon i believe we
all should keep
cockroach farms just in
case just in
case ygsgs
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