Kafka's Soup: A Complete History of World Literature in 14 Recipes by Mark Crick, Mark Crick (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

"Unpalatable."—Franz Kafka
 
"Stuck in my throat."—Raymond Chandler
 
"Long-winded."—Marcel Proust
 
"He'll rot in hell."—Graham Greene

Publishers Weekly

London-based photographer Crick's whimsical book consists of pastiches of famous writers having culinary adventures. John Steinbeck's Depression-era risotto is a parched affair: "The porcini lay dry and wrinkled, each slice twisted by thirst." The Marquis de Sade's heroine Justine offers a through-the-keyhole account of her captor's preparation of Boned, Stuffed Poussins: "I had no idea that a small bird could take so much stuffing, but he carried on, using language that my ears could barely suffer, until the poor bird could take no more." Crick easily evokes the serene wisdom of Jane Austen, in a recipe for Tarragon Eggs: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that eggs, kept for too long, go off." From Raymond Chandler's edgy account of cooking lamb to Gabriel Garc a M rquez's epic Coq au Vin, from Harold Pinter's one-act Cheese on Toast to Chaucer's versified instructions for Onion Tart, Crick ranges easily throughout world literature, perfectly capturing the voice of each writer. Not content with this capricious achievement, Crick supplies his own color illustrations, likewise works of pastiche, gently mocking, among others, Andy Warhol, William Hogarth, Jean Cocteau, Vincent van Gogh and Henry Moore. This is a delight for literary foodies. (Nov.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

The Wall Street Journal

"In this lovingly executed little volume of literary parodies, Mr. Crick mines his early obsessions with food and fiction … a small but sparkling marriage of the tasteful and the tasty."

The New York Observer

"Brief and witty and also useful: pastiche with a purpose … Mr. Crick is evidently a man of many talents: his recipes are both plausible and appetizing; his literary impersonations are all cleverly executed and, in patches, brilliant; and the illustrations (also by Mr. Crick) are playful pastiche, too."

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