2 + 2 = 5 is now available from Black Scat Books! This, if you’re doing the math suggested by the title, is my tenth translation of France’s master humorist, Alphonse Allais.

2 + 2 = 5 (in French, 2 + 2 = 5), was first published in 1895. Allais is in his prime here, spinning out dark fantasies on cycling in Ancient Rome, the taste of tears, the economic advantages of germ warfare, God’s dislike of Christmas, and the proper chemicals for a chaperone’s chamberpot. The intrepid Captain Cap pitches his bizarre inventions over cocktails, and Allais sends back notes from his travels to North America and Southern France. At 65 stories (289 pp.), this collection is his largest—and I’ve added two extra stories by Allais and two by Octave Mirbeau, all on the pressing issue of ambulatory vegetables, as well as an introduction and useful notes. Liliane Milgrom did the lovely cover painting. It all adds up to hilarity! And you can find it on Amazon.

(Posted by Doug Skinner)