The Banquet Years: The Origins of the Avant-Garde in France, 1885 to World War I

I agree with other reviewers that the section on Alfred Jarry is especially strong, but the whole thing is great. Shattuck is a brilliant scholar, and a very lively writer. Presenting history from the viewpoint of a group of eccentrics results in surprises on every page. I bought this book as a fan of Shattuck's work on Proust (who gets only a brief mention in this book), and as a fan of Erik Satie (Contrary to the second-last reviewer, Satie's work is widely available, and it's well worth a listen), but now I think I'm a fan of Alfred Jarry as well; I've just placed an order for Jarry's Ubu Roi.

I first came across this book when assigned it in college, and I return to it every few years. I found this a bracing book when I first read it and still to this day. Anyone who thinks Andy Kaufman was the first person to cross the line of performance art into life should read the section on Alfred Jarry. Indeed at a certain point Jarry became irretrievably blurred with his creation Pere Ubu (whom he took to "impersonating" in real life to an extent that must have been quite a trial to his friends). Yet there is something very moving and affirming about the often tragic story presented here. Jarry lived in a half sized room and became a chronic drunk yet he retained an impeccable dignity despite feeling trapped in a savage and absurd world. His last words were for a request for a toothpick. Jarry returned the insult of life with perfect poise. The other portraits are equally incisive, the Satie portrait particulary haunting (its hard to listen to his music without thinking of the tiny room he lived in and never let another sole visit during his lifetime).Shattuck gives the historical background that gives you fascinating insight into the social/cultural conditions behind the emergence of what have to be considered highly idiosyncratic artists. For anyone with bohemian inclinations or posturings this book is essential, perhaps making your own little room shine with a little solidarity for those who have trod before you...

This book changed my life. The Banquet Years shows how the avant-garde movement shaped the entire 20th century -- even though it was in the 1950s, (I believe). It's a brilliant and lucid analysis of the most colorful time and place of this century.

I was worried at first, the first few pages read like an episode of "Lifestyles of the Rich And Famous" in its juicy overview of late 19th century. But then he started talking about avant garde art, and it became an astute exploration of the reasons behind avant garde art, how it works, and why it is valid. I was looking for some info on Erik Satie and came away very satisfied.

Using the four artists as focal points, Shattuck delivers a stimulating book about the emergence of the avant-garde in pre WWI Paris. This is a very readable book, and the cast of characters includes many subsequent giants of the twentieth century. The section on Jarry, in particular, is brilliant, especially in the chronicle of his last strange years.