Paul Zelevansky’s Absurdist Tale of ‘Monkey & Man’

It began as a performance piece. That was a long time ago . . . 1985, to be precise, in Brooklyn. The author presented individual stories as performances and installations, which were videotaped. The texts also began appearing in little magazines. As they appeared, the author read them to his nine-year-old daughter, who “stood in as an ideal child-audience,” he says, “open-minded, critical, and enthusiastic.”

Zelevansky is focused these days on his sculptures and assemblages. Have a look at some of them. Meanwhile, here are two spreads from Monkey & Man for a taste of the tale.