Kafka's Soup

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Kafka's Soup
Kafka's Soup.jpg
Author Mark Crick
IllustratorMark Crick
LanguageEnglish
GenreCookery/Pastiche
Publisher Libri
Publication date
2005
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Pages96
ISBN 978-1-901965-09-4
Followed by Sartre's Sink  

Kafka's Soup is a literary pastiche in the form of a cookbook. [1] It contains 14 recipes [2] each written in the style of a famous author from history. As of 2007 it had been translated into 18 languages [1] and published in 27 countries. [3] Excerpts from the book have appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald [4] and the New York Times . [5] Theatrical performances of the recipes have taken place in France and Canada.

Contents

Recipes

Recipes include: tiramisu as made by Proust, [3] [6] [7] cheese on toast by Harold Pinter, [4] [7] [8] clafoutis grandmere by Virginia Woolf, [4] [9] chocolate cake prepared by Irvine Welsh, [7] [8] [9] lamb with dill sauce by Raymond Chandler, [8] [9] onion tart by Chaucer, [3] [7] [9] fenkata (rabbit stew) by Homer, [3] [7] boned stuffed poussins by the Marquis de Sade, [6] [7] [9] mushroom risotto by John Steinbeck, [7] [9] tarragon eggs by Jane Austen, [3] [7] Vietnamese chicken by Graham Greene [7] and Kafka's Miso soup. [3] [6] [9] Also included are recipes in the style of Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel García Márquez. [7]

Among the recipes that did not make the original edition of the book was "plum pudding à la Charles Dickens" which was written but rejected by Mark Crick for being "too long-winded". [9] It was, however, included in a subsequent paperback edition of the book [3] along with two recipes, Rösti à la Thomas Mann and moules marinieres à la Italo Calvino, originally created for the German and Italian translations respectively. [1]

Kafka's Soup is illustrated with paintings by the author in the style of a number of famous artists including Picasso, Matisse, Hogarth, De Chirico, Henry Moore, Egon Schiele and Warhol. [1] [7] [9]

Kafka's Soup is Mark Crick's first book. [3] He has subsequently written two other books with similar themes; Sartre's Sink and Machiavelli's Lawn which are literary pastiches in the form of a DIY handbook and a gardening book respectively. [10] [11]

Writing Kafka's Soup

The idea for Kafka's Soup arose during a conversation between Crick and a publisher. [3] Crick noted his dislike for cookbooks [9] saying that he enjoyed looking at the pictures but found the accompanying text dull. [3] When asked what would it take for him to read beyond the ingredients list he replied: "if [the text] was written by the world's greatest authors." [3] The publisher liked the idea and, in Crick's words, "she said that if I wrote it she'd publish it." [3]

Most of the recipes in the book are Crick's own, although some, such as the chocolate cake, came from his friends. [12] Crick notes the implausibility of some of his authors cooking their stated dishes (for example he states that John Steinbeck "would never have eaten [mushroom risotto]" [9] and "I certainly accept any challenge that Kafka would not have eaten miso soup" [12] ). He says that he selected the recipes based on the ability of each dish to allow him to use the language he wished to use. [12] Chocolate cake was selected for Irvine Welsh because "people become terribly selfish when there's chocolate cake around, just as they do with drugs. It's the closest many get to taking heroin." [9]

Crick says that he found Virginia Woolf the most difficult of the authors to write [9] while Raymond Chandler was the easiest. [13]

Response

Kafka's Soup has become a cult hit. [1] Andy Miller of the Telegraph called the recipes "note-perfect parodies of literary greats". [14] Emily Stokes of the Observer called it an "illustrated masterpiece of pastiche" citing the lamb with dill sauce as "particularly good". [8] C J Schüler wrote that Virginia Woolf's clafoutis grandmere is the "pièce de resistance" and called the collection "irresistibly moreish". [7] He later called the book "a little gem of literary impersonation". [1] Schüler believes that "part of the book's appeal lies in the fact that the recipes...actually work." [1] The French writer and satirist Patrick Rambaud has named Kafka's soup as one of his favorite parodies, noting the inclusion of parodies of continental European authors such as Proust and the Marquis de Sade in addition to English-speaking authors. [6]

Translations

As of 2007 Kafka's Soup had been translated into 18 languages [1] and published in 27 countries. [3] The Croatian translation proved more popular than The Da Vinci Code , forcing it into second place on the country's best-seller list. [1] Each recipe in the French version was translated by a separate translator specializing in the translation of the works of the parodied author. [1]

Theatrical readings

In England, the recipes have reportedly been used as audition pieces by a small West Country theatre company. [1] The Théâtre de l'Atelier in Paris hosted a performance of the French translation of the book in 2007. The production included performances by Irène Jacob, Isabelle Carré and Denis Podalydès, including a sung version of the recipe for onion tart. [1] A live reading of the French translation of Kafka's Soup took place at the Montreal Festival International de la Littérature in 2007 with the author in attendance. [15] The production received an additional performance run in the Terrebonne suburb of Montreal in 2009. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pastiche</span> Art genre based on imitating the style or character of other artists work

A pastiche is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miso soup</span> Japanese soup flavored with miso

Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a dashi stock into which softened miso paste is mixed. In addition, there are many optional ingredients that may be added depending on regional and seasonal recipes, and personal preference. In Japanese food culture, miso soup is a representative of soup dishes served with rice. Miso soup is also called omiotsuke (御味御付).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Profiterole</span> Cream-filled pastry

A profiterole, cream puff (US), or chou à la crème is a filled French choux pastry ball with a typically sweet and moist filling of whipped cream, custard, pastry cream, or ice cream. The puffs may be decorated or left plain or garnished with chocolate sauce, caramel, or a dusting of powdered sugar. Savory profiterole are also made, filled with pureed meats, cheese, and so on. These were formerly common garnishes for soups.

Romanian cuisine is a diverse blend of different dishes from several traditions with which it has come into contact, but it also maintains its own character. It has been influenced mainly by Turkish but also a series of European cuisines in particular from the Balkan Peninsula and Hungarian cuisine as well as culinary elements stemming from the cuisines of Central Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comfort food</span> Type of food

Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone and may be characterized by its high caloric nature associated with childhood or home cooking. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual or it may apply to a specific culture.

<i>Torta caprese</i> Italian chocolate and walnut cake

Torta caprese is a flourless Italian cake made with chocolate and either almonds or hazelnuts. Named for the island of Capri from which it originates, the cake is widely known and especially popular in nearby Naples, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chocolate cake</span> Baked cake flavored with chocolate

Chocolate cake or chocolate gâteau is a cake flavored with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, or both. It can also have other ingredients such as fudge, vanilla creme, and other sweeteners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston cream pie</span> Custard-filled sandwich cake

A Boston cream pie is a cake with a cream filling. The dessert acquired its name when cakes and pies were baked in the same pans, and the words were used interchangeably. In the late 19th century, this type of cake was variously called a "cream pie", a "chocolate cream pie", or a "custard cake".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of Kentucky</span> Food and drinks from Kentucky

The cuisine of Kentucky mostly resembles and is a part of traditional Southern cuisine. Some common dinner dishes are fried catfish and hushpuppies, fried chicken and country fried steak. These are usually served with vegetables such as green beans, greens, pinto beans slow-cooked with pork as seasoning and served with cornbread. Other popular items include fried green tomatoes, cheese grits, corn pudding, fried okra, and chicken and dumplings, which can be found across the commonwealth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italian cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Italy

Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine consisting of the ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Roman times and later spread around the world together with waves of Italian diaspora. Significant changes occurred with the colonization of the Americas and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, maize, and sugar beet—the latter introduced in quantity in the 18th century. It is one of the best-known and most appreciated gastronomies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Scotland

Scottish cuisine encompasses the cooking styles, traditions and recipes associated with Scotland. It has distinctive attributes and recipes of its own, but also shares much with other British and wider European cuisine as a result of local, regional, and continental influences—both ancient and modern.

There are many geographically indicated foods of the United Kingdom. In British cuisine, there is a custom of naming foodstuffs with reference to their place of origin. However, there are other reasons for this practice; Scotch egg, which was invented in London and Dover sole which indicates where they were landed, for example.

Mark Crick is a British photographer and author, best known for his literary parodies Kafka's Soup and Sartre's Sink, in which he presents recipes and DIY tips in the style of famous literary writers. Mark Crick is married to Fiona Simmons Crick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Rambaud</span> French writer (born 1946)

Patrick Rambaud is a French writer.

Elizabeth David, the British cookery writer, published eight books in the 34 years between 1950 and 1984; the last was issued eight years before her death. After David's death, her literary executor, Jill Norman, supervised the publication of eight more books, drawing on David's unpublished manuscripts and research and on her published writings for books and magazines.

<i>Sartres Sink</i>

Sartre's Sink is a literary pastiche in the form of a do it yourself handbook. It contains advice about how to undertake 14 common household tasks each written in the style of a famous author from history. Sartre's Sink is the second book by photographer and author Mark Crick. Excerpts have appeared in The Independent and the Evening Herald.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supangle</span> Turkish chocolate pudding

Supangle or sup is a type of Turkish chocolate pudding. Its bottom layer includes pieces of cake and it is often garnished with pistachio or coconut, and chocolate chips.

References

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  2. Later editions contain 17 recipes due to the inclusion of recipes written for the German and Italian editions and the incorporation of a previously rejected recipe in the style of Charles Dickens.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Larissa Dubecki (16 October 2007). "Literary lunching in the Kaf". The Age. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 John Saxby (22 August 2006). "Literary diet". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  5. "On the Lamb". New York Times. 3 December 2006. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Jean-Paul Brighelli (5 March 2011). "Patrick Rambaud, chroniqueur caustique du règne sarkozyste". Marianne. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2011. In French
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 C J Schüler (13 November 2005). "Kafka's Soup by Mark Crick". The Independent. Archived from the original on August 27, 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Emily Stokes (18 November 2007). "Between homelands". The Observer. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Catherine Milner (27 August 2005). "If Kafka made the dinner..." Telegraph. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  10. Rosie Blau (13 December 2008). "Brick lit". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  11. "Loose Ends 26/02/2011". BBC. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  12. 1 2 3 Joanna Rabiger (8 September 2006). "In the Kitchen with Kafka". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  13. Will Gore (6 May 2009). "Sartre sinks in for Mark Crick". Surrey Comet. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  14. Andy Miller (24 November 2007). "Christmas books: Humour". Telegraph. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  15. "French literary fest goes beyond books". Montreal Gazette. 22 August 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  16. Tristan Malavoy-Racine (22 January 2009). "Quand l'appétit va". Voir. Retrieved 28 May 2011. In French