SOURCE: "Vallés and the Existential Pun," in Mosaic, Vol. IX, No. 3, Spring, 1976, pp. 27-39.

In the following essay, Redfern examines Vallès's use of wordplay, proposing that for Vallès the pun demonstrates both the power and the inadequacy of words. Moreover, Redfern suggests, Vallès's linguistic playfulness lends a sense of freedom and vitality to his work.

Adām (man) was created out of adamāh (earth); and we know about Peter. In the beginning was the pun, in this case a simply divine pun. Cultural historians tell us that play with words (insult-competitions, lying tournaments, joutes de jactance) is one of the most beloved practices of human beings the world over and throughout recorded time. Why, then, has it become commonplace to apologise for punning?

In both journalism and novel-writing, Vallès brought his inborn love of playing with language to bear on often serious...