ABSTRACT
Though largely ignored in the history of magic and conjuring, Le Grand Akazam might be described as the twentieth century’s only avant-garde magician. Clearly influenced by Dada and Surrealism (though there are no records of his involvement with either of these movements), Akazam worked in clubs and small theatres in Italy and Switzerland between the two wars. His magic act never achieved notoriety, for reasons that will become all too apparent. The following is a historical reconstruction of his trademark performance.
