To mark the Dada centenary, Martin Mittelmeier (b. 1971)—known for his biographies of iconic modernist figures such as Thomas Mann and Theodor W. Adorno—has written a paradoxical history of Dadaism. Emulating the style of this most provocative avant-garde movement, the author assembles a collage of events, locations, and techniques that piece together a farcical history of Dada. Paradoxes lurk at every turn: how Dadaism became the most short-lived yet influential movement; how Hugo Ball transformed from a café-chantant accompanist into a carnival prophet and Catholic thinker; and how a "Dada language" was created that denied the very possibility of language itself. The book is filled with exotic facts and fresh perspectives, allowing readers to engage with Dadaism from the vantage point of the twenty-first century as an eternally "childlike," timeless artistic phenomenon.