Flann O'Brien

Well deserving of its spot on The Guardian's 100 list.

I don't remember whose recommendation it was to read this novel. It certainly had its share of admirers of the avant-garde when it came out, but it seems like it's mostly been forgotten since then. It seems like the names of James Joyce and Samuel Beckett have endured longer in the literary consciousness than that of Flann O'Brian and I can't really put my finger on why that is. I had to pay careful attention to see that it was indeed a metafiction with the characters shown interacting with their creator or really to make any sense of this unruly jumble of scenes, sometimes naturalistic, sometimes completely unbelievable. There are graphic descriptions of debauchery but also stretches of genteel language. Gradually I was able to tell most of the strange characters apart and ven got a little bit of their relationships, which made the whole thing easier to get through.

I got the feeling that the author write this book in a state where he didn't want to take anything about the story too seriously. Unlike Joyce's Ulysses, with its multiple layers of allusion and strict adherance to a particular style throughout each episode, this book seemed breezy, even when talking about painful things. Some of the best parts in it for me were the snatches of poetry and song which didn't seem like they were coming from a rarefied scholarly place but were were just tossed in for the fun of it. I don't think it really was that easy to write with this much crazy inventiveness boiling over, but what finally ended up being published didn't feel labored.

I checked this ebook out of my local library over and over again, three weeks at a time, before I finally finished it, and I was determined not to worry over the sections that I would forget between sessions. It just seems like there's no point being scared off of a big and daunting book far from one's normal fare, and better just to take from it what one is able to. It is a humorous book, but might not appeal to everyone's idea of fun, so I am not eager to recommend it to everyone I know. You have to have a taste for absurdity, at least. I have talked to some who have read and appreciated it, though, and it feels a little like becoming a member of an exclusive club.

Not as compelling as the Third Policeman but a very good read overall. I find it a bit odd that this book appears on so many "top ___ books you must read" list but I guess it's more arty than Third Policeman so it probably appeals to the James Joyce / Thomas Pynchon crowd more.