Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog by anahata.c
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Description
That's my childhood dog, Pepi.
This completes my childhood uploads.
Pepi was astonishing. This is all true:
He had a Ph.D. from the Sorbonne, in French Existentialist Literature.
He lived on the Left Bank of Paris for 14 years, shacked up with Simone de Beauvoir (Jean Paul Sartre's lover), and left for Iceland when Sartre threatened to neuter him. He moved to Iceland until he realized it was way too cold, then returned to Chicago, only to realize it was colder.
He became a part-time icicle in a ski lodge.
He played fluent classical piano, built lutes, and he was a ladies dog. He was considered reeeeeeallllly hot by other dogs. Some cats too. It's in his book, which I edited. It'll be out in spring.
He lived to age 90---which is something in human years, though I don't know what---and he spent his last years as a 3d-rate standup comic. His famous joke was, "I just flew in from Detroit, and boy are MY arms tired!" That got big laughs in dog clubs. He was honored by the Friar's Club, and spent his last days as a Milton Berle look-a-like. It was a stretch.
I'm gonna sign off before I make a total jerk of myself.
But now you've seen my childhood family...
Have a fine Sunday, all!
Mark
(ps---the title is from James Joyce's novel, "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man". Why do I mention it? Because Pepi wrote a 300 page paper on Joyce's "little-known years as a poodle". It wasn't well received. Except by poodles. Ok, I'm finished. No more bad jokes...)
Comments (13)
auntietk
OMG, you haven't changed a bit. THIS is how you explain it when people ask if you were born with the beard. :D
Chipka
What an adorable photo! What an engaging and oh-so-revealing text! I laughed to the moment of...well...there were no accidents. What really strikes me is how brilliant this is, and how it also reminds me of some of the jokes I've heard and read...and well...it reminds me of one of my new all-time-favorite authors, Aleksandar Hemon. He wrote a story called "The Winds of Alphonse Kaunders," which has absolutely nothing to do with this stunning, hilarious, perfect post, and yet there is some kind of relation, albeit an unrelated one. Somehow, that makes sense. To somebody. The thing is, Alphonse Kaunders had a dog named Rex. Apparently he and his dog lived in constant loathing of one another. One day (a normal occurrence,) Rex and Alphonse had an argument. In one of the more moving passages of "The Winds of Alphonse Kaunders," Aleksandar Hemon writes: "Alphonse Kaunders told the following: 'When Rex and I had a fight, and that happened almost every day, he would go stray and he would be gone for days. And he would tell me nothing. Except once. He said: 'The stray dog shelter is full of spies.' " " --Which, of course, appears to have nothing to do with this post, but a deeper look reveals one particular thread in common: dogs are full of information. They are rather amazing people, and one prodigiously talented pooch! I love this post: all of it is absolutely brilliant.
LBJ2
Wonderful capture, Mark. Your nice curly childhood friend. Probably the most amazing dog in world history :) It is good to see, that your humor is intact :)
magnus073
Mark, thank you so much for sharing this photo of your beloved childhood dog (Pepi). I was moved very much by this as my little dog (Peppie) sadly is getting up there and may not be with me much longer.
durleybeachbum
WONDERFUL, Mark! So very enjoyable.
Meglaurel
Oh you are ALIVE Pepi' Fretted and moaned all morn believing was you sprawled between the stop and go signs on the road yonder. Thank you thank you on another level you've been reborn. !
Cyve
ADORABLE !!!
MrsRatbag
Clearly there's much more to this fellow than the casual glance would bestow...wonderful little biography!
goodoleboy
Wow, was Pepi for real? Take me to your leader. Bad hair day for sure…got caught out in the rain before the photo? I got a kick out of your synopsis of his talents. Among other things, Pepi was an existentialist, had a dalliance with Simone de Beauvoir, was a Henny Youngman/Rodney Dangerfield wannabe, and also lived to 90? What a biography! The most interesting canine in the world. Of course he made the Guinness Book of Records, especially with that undoglike life span.
LivingPixels
Entertaining dialogue and a lovely shot Mark!!
flavia49
very nice
romanceworks
Pepi proves my premise that dogs have always been my favorite people. OMG, Mark! This is a major hoot. Your beard was curlier back then but you still love the camera. :O)
CoreyBlack
Very, very funny! This was one of those "don't drink coffee while you're reading it because you'll laugh so hard it-the coffee- will come out your nose" (I'm sure there was an easier way to have said that), posts. What an amazing dog. I can see you at a dog show. Woman: "My dog just won First Prize in the Pretentious Award!" You: "Well, MY dog..." Was Pipi perhaps part owl? Or maybe he'd just been rescued from the fluff cycle in the dryer. He's very "Furry." Or maybe that's some of his Sean Connery virility coming through. Wonderfully story and picture.