William Braden (1)

I cannot remember were I saw mention of this book - I can only assume either somewhere on LT or in one of the book-related email spam I receive on a regular basis - but the thought of a existential, angst-filled cat seems reasonable to me so I decided to read it. As a collection of photos with thought captions, this was a fun, quick read. Braden has given Henri the perfect voice to pair with his aloof, disdainful facial expressions and body language that only a cat can pull off with full show more aplomb. What adds to the fun is that not only does Henri disdain the humans, he tends to look down on his fellow feline house companions as lacking his level of intelligence, referring to one cat as the "white imbecile". In Henri's own words, "If I am referred to as a deep thinker, it is only because the majority of cats are barely concerned with thought at all." Ouch! ;-)

Having enjoyed the book, I then had fun watching the videos on the Henri, Le Chat Noir YouTube channel and his Twitter feed while drinking my morning coffee. I know understand why Henri is the internet sensation the book says he is. Waxing philosophical with a wry, sarcastic wit has its appeal. As Henri states:

A vast universe of metaphysical truth lies undiscovered all around us, yet I'm supposed to be placated by chasing a little bit of string?
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My spiritual cup is not so easily filled.

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Short, amusing, unpretentious but well done satire of French existentialism.

The Youtube videos are hilarious. This book is weak and unamusing.

YouTube comes alive and it's really cute.