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Flann O'Brien (1911–1966)

Author of The Third Policeman

51+ Works 11,991 Members 246 Reviews 121 Favorited

About the Author

Writer Brian O'Nolan was born on October 5, 1911. He graduated from University College, Dublin. This gifted Irish writer had three identities: Brian O'Nolan, an Irish civil servant and administrator; Myles Copaleen, columnist for the Irish Times, poet and author of An Beal Bocht (The Poor Mouth: A show more Bad Story about the Hard Life, 1941), a satire in Gaelic on the Gaelic revival; and Flann O'Brien, playwright and avant-garde comic novelist. His masterpiece, At Swim-Two-Birds (1939), went almost unrecognized in its time. This novel, which plays havoc with the conventional novel form, is about a man writing a book about characters in turn writing about him. O'Brien starts off with three separate openings. The Third Policeman (1967), funny but grim, plunges into the world of the dead, though one is not immediately aware that the protagonist is no longer living. He died on April 1, 1966. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Courtesy of Dalkey Archive Press

Works by Flann O'Brien

The Third Policeman (1967) 4,231 copies
At Swim-Two-Birds (1939) 3,260 copies
The Poor Mouth (1973) 965 copies
The Dalkey Archive (1964) 849 copies
The best of Myles (1968) 743 copies
The Hard Life (1961) 559 copies
Stories and Plays (1973) 117 copies
At War (Lannan Selection) (1999) 111 copies
Myles Away from Dublin (1600) 73 copies
Myles Before Myles (1988) 64 copies
Flann O'Brien Reader (1978) 20 copies
Cruiskeen Lawn (2005) 11 copies
Fakirlik Edebiyati (2022) 2 copies
Durst und andere Dinge. (2002) 2 copies
De derde Politieman (1971) 1 copy
The Poor Mouth — Author — 1 copy
Irlanda 1 copy
FA170 (1391) 1 copy
No title 1 copy

Associated Works

Black Water: The Book of Fantastic Literature (1983) — Contributor — 499 copies
The Best of Modern Humor (1983) — Contributor — 291 copies
The Penguin Book of Irish Fiction (1999) — Contributor — 149 copies
Great Irish Detective Stories (1993) — Contributor — 89 copies
Extreme Fiction: Fabulists and Formalists (2003) — Contributor — 51 copies
The Penguin Book of Irish Comic Writing (1996) — Author, some editions; Author, some editions — 25 copies
The Wrong Turning: Encounters with Ghosts (2021) — Contributor — 13 copies
The Brother [VHS] — Based on work — 1 copy

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"The Best of Myles" by Flann O'Brien in One Book One Thread (February 2020)

Reviews

This is a hilarious satire which parodies the typical Gaeltacht memoirs published in Ireland after 1922. These books were a mandatory part of the Irish school curriculum and those who went to high school in Ireland in the '80s will forever remember [b:Peig: The Autobiograpy of Peig Sayers of the Great Blasket Island|1998679|Peig The Autobiograpy of Peig Sayers of the Great Blasket Island|Peig Sayers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1447275760l/1998679._SY75_.jpg|671229]. The hardship of life in these remote regions was real, but the Irish have their own unique way of describing it. Tragedy doesn't seem all that bad, because in the end "Shur it'll all be grand". Flann O' Brien takes this to a whole new level in this extremely amusing parody.

Anois caithfidh mé an leagan Gaeilge, [b:An Béal Bocht|1638992|An Béal Bocht|Myles na gCopaleen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356154219l/1638992._SY75_.jpg|969563] le [a:Myles na gCopaleen|757952|Myles na gCopaleen|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png], a léamh. Fuair mé sa phoist é inné agus tá mé ag súil leis é a chur i gcomparáid leis an aistriúchán Béarla.

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amurray914 | 18 other reviews | Feb 27, 2024 |
‘The Poor Mouth’ is a scathing yet amusing satire squarely aimed at the narratives and custodians of Gaelic Ireland, complete with endless rain, countless meals of potatoes and house shares with sheep and pigs. The protagonist, Bonaparte O’Coonassa, lives in the fictitious village of Corkadoragha where he ambles through a poverty stricken yet mildly philosophical and content life. This is a short, enjoyable read that immerses you in a beautiful, simple yet ridiculous tale which pulsates with Irishness. Without having read O’Brien’s other works yet, I’ve gleaned that this is only moderately surreal in comparison but it was still evidence of skilful writing and a risk-taking, experimental style that made for an engaging read. I’ll definitely be reading his others!… (more)
 
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Dzaowan | 18 other reviews | Feb 15, 2024 |
Another of the books I read twenty or more years ago. I read a lot of Flann O'Brien then and particularly enjoyed the collections of his journalism, but hadn't looked at any of his work since. I can say that I liked The Third Policeman just as much as the first time I read it, but with more years behind me see completely different things in it. Then it was a comic, absurd fantasy; now it reads as a much darker, surreal piece. The comedy is still there - the way bicycles and their riders start becoming more alike over the years - but it underpins what is essentially a vision of some sort of hell. There is a certain ornateness to the language which adds to the darkly comic feel, and it's certainly a book worth reading more than once.… (more)
 
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petermt | 121 other reviews | Dec 18, 2023 |
Feels like a shaggy dog story with a punchline that we're not privy to. It has funny moments and O'Brien is a good writer but I felt like I was missing a whole lot.
 
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tombomp | 5 other reviews | Oct 31, 2023 |

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Works
51
Also by
11
Members
11,991
Popularity
#1,956
Rating
3.9
Reviews
246
ISBNs
280
Languages
22
Favorited
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