Red Diaper Baby: Three Comic Monologues [Paperback]

Josh Kornbluth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996 | ISBN-10: 1562790870 | ISBN-13: 978-1562790875 | Edition: 1st

Fiction. Performing Arts. RED DIAPER BABY includes three comic autobiographical monologues by performer Josh Kornbluth: "The Mathematics of Change," "Haiku Tunnel," and the title piece. Together, and with the author's introduction, the monologues compose a bildungsroman that is both comic and poignant. Kornbluth shows a deep affection for the wild, eccentric characters who people his universe. With a few deft strokes he paints unforgettable portraits, as true as they are funny. Together the monologues achieve real literary form and depth, as we witness a young man coming of age in a world that is anything but conventional. "These monologues have a performer's personality even on the page. They read the way they play: with a delight in neurosis that turns it into intellectual slapstick"—Pauline Kael.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The best humor is familiar to all but firmly grounded in the real world. Kornbluth's familiar real world is clearly New York from the beginning monolog, "Red Diaper Baby." This first-person account of growing up in the Sixties with an imposing Communistic father constitutes a vivid and delightful portrait of the man. In "Mathematics of Change," we find Josh at college, confronted with scholastic competition for the first time. Josh's witty, painful death by calculus is shared directly by the reader as his identity is transformed. "Haiku Tunnel," soon to be a movie, gets right to the heart of office life as viewed through the eyes of those who temp. Wickedly funny, it has a surprise ending, which provides the reader with a morsel of hope. Each monolog is quick, satisfying reading, very funny and very human. These reflections of urban life are well recommended.?Sue Olcott, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., Ohio
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The flap copy says Kornbluth is a journalist, but in these three autobiographical monologues, he will remind people of performance artist Spalding Gray. Like Gray, Kornbluth has a talent for presenting the minutiae of his life in a manner that is both hysterically funny and absolutely fascinating. Of course, Kornbluth has a lot to work with. In the title piece, which was nominated for a Drama Desk Award, he recalls life with his father, an ardent Communist who liked to run around nude and woke his son up with the Internationale, the Communist anthem: "Arise, ye prisoner of starvation," which made sense to young Jesse because it was five in the morning, and he was hungry. "My father believed there was going to be a violent Communist revolution in this country--and I was going to lead it. Just so you get a sense of the pressure." In "The Mathematics of Change," Kornbluth chronicles his life as a Princeton math major, while in "Haiku Tunnel," he embarks on his career as a novelist. Pithy, pure, and very funny stuff. Ilene Cooper

Product Details

• Paperback: 199 pages
• Publisher: Mercury House; 1st edition (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1562790870
• ISBN-13: 978-1562790875
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,103,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Funny - almost as good as live, November 8, 1999

By 

Kathy Joseph ([e-mail]) (State College, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Red Diaper Baby: Three Comic Monologues (Paperback)

What a fun book. I heard "The Mathematics of Change" live and bought this book. My only complaint is that his style would be better live. Has anyone thought of a book on tape? Especially since this is basically a tape on book. Nonetheless, I recomend this book and wait for the audiotape.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Self-deprecatory comedy, May 16, 2000

By 

Ayse Sercan "ayse" (SF Bay Area) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Red Diaper Baby: Three Comic Monologues (Paperback)

If you grew up with poltically active parents of any sort, the first the three monologues in this book will resonate strongly. In that monologue, Kornbluth gives a hilarious explanation of the dynamics of his relationship with his parents. He discusses how his parents influenced childhood goals (to lead the worldwide Communist revolution) and the various odd but amusing habits they -- especially his father -- exhibited.

Kornbluth's writing style is clearly influenced by the standup origins of the work; it reads quickly and yet slightly awkwardly, as a transcibed monologue generally will. But despite the slightly different writing style, you will find yourself laughing out loud more often than not.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great addition to any collection of plays or humor., December 29, 1998

By 

Jeffrey Sweet "Jeffrey Sweet" (NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Red Diaper Baby: Three Comic Monologues (Paperback)

I teach playwriting, and whenever one of my students undertakes a solo piece, I recommend RED DIAPER BABY for study. It is one of the two or three best-written solo shows I've ever had the pleasure of seeing (and I've seen dozens) -- a beautifully-judged balance of characterization, novelistic detail, social and political satire, and raunchiness. The other pieces in this collection are damn good, too. This is work to enjoy and from which to learn.