Flann O'Brien at War - Hardcover

Flann O'Brien

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0715629417 ISBN 13: 9780715629413

Publisher: Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd, 1999

Synopsis

This is a collection of writings from the Irish satirist Flann O'Brien, edited from more than 3000 columns which appeared daily in the "Irish Times" under the pseudonym Myles na gCopaleen. Where previous collections are mere compilations, this collection of wartime columns treats the famous Irishman Myles na gCopaleen and his hectoring associates as the fictional characters they were intended to be. Tracking the shocking disintegration of this bright young writer, philosopher and social commentator, we witness Myles' steady decline, as his sparkling wit darkens in an alcoholic tragedy of the mind.

About this title

About the Author

Flann O'Brien, whose real name was Brian O'Nolan, also wrote under the pen name of Myles na Gopaleen. He was born in 1911 in County Tyrone. A resident of Dublin, he graduated from University College after a brilliant career as a student (editing a magazine called Blather) and joined the Civil Service, in which he eventually attained a senior position. He wrote throughout his life, which ended in Dublin on April 1, 1966. His other novels include The Dalkey Archive, The Third Policeman, The Hard Life, and The Poor Mouth, all available from Dalkey Archive Press. Also available are three volumes of his newspaper columns: The Best of Myles, Further Cuttings from Cruiskeen Lawn, and At War.

From Publishers Weekly

Civil servant and satirist Brian O'Nolan (1911-1966), aka Flann O'Brien (for his comic novels) or Myles na gCopaleen (for his humorous, highly opinionated newspaper column), is resurrected in this collection of his "Cruiskeen Lawn" columns for the Irish Times. Culled from na gCopaleen's WWII period work and never before published in book form, the columns veer from virulent invective to "a good laugh." Jackson notes that "the original reader opening his morning paper had no idea whether Myles was going to amuse, anger, surprise, disgust or bore him," and his selection preserves the chronological order of the original publication in an effort to "restore something of Myles' unpredictability." However, the erratic groupings, tacked together by the editor's enigmatic chapter titles and notes, appear inchoate and limp, compared to other collections of na gCopaleen's columns (The Best of Myles and Further Cuttings from Cruiskeen Lawn). Still, na gCopaleen's penchant for offbeat subjects (such as Ibsen's dandruff), his caustic wit ("I am, as you know, an Irish person and I yield to gnomon in my admiration and respect for the old land.") and playful puns ("As for drink, they tell me it gives you a red nose, a complaint that can be passed on to your children. Damn nosa how red it is!") offer a hilarious glimpse of both the meaningful and mundane in WWII Ireland. When the layers are peeled away, they reveal an imaginative comic genius with a genuine gift for language. Hector McDonnell's cartoons add to the hilarity.
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About this edition

• Publisher: Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0715629417
• ISBN 13: 9780715629413
• Binding: Hardcover