About this item
Highlights
- Subtitled "An Exegesis of Squalor," The Hard Life is a sober farce from a master of Irish comic fiction.
- About the Author: Flann O'Brien was one of several pseudonyms of Brian O'Nolan (1911-1966), who is considered along with James Joyce and Samuel Beckett to be one of the greatest Irish writers of the twentieth century.
- 179 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, General
Description
Book Synopsis
Subtitled "An Exegesis of Squalor," The Hard Life is a sober farce from a master of Irish comic fiction. Set in Dublin at the turn of the century, the novel does involve squalor--illness, alcoholism, unemployment, bodily functions, crime, illicit sex--but also investigates such diverse topics as Church history, tightrope walking, and the pressing need for public toilets for ladies. The Hard Life is straight-faced entertainment that conceals in laughter its own devious and wicked satire by one of the best known Irish writers of the 20th century.Review Quotes
"The dialogue is first-rate, as is the Dublin atmosphere; and some of his characters are as rich and yeasty as good porter foaming out of the jar." -- Times Literary Supplement
"The real subject and hero of the novel is the English language--or rather, the Irish version of English. It's possible that O'Brien is actually better than Joyce at preserving the qualities of the Irish penchant for wordplay, a convention which often strikes an American audience as outrageous. . . . O'Brien's technique in The Hard Life is supremely economical, reading like a script without the obtrusive stage directions." -- City Pages
"Mr. O'Brien's almost callous economy of language, combined with an odd moral sensitivity, renders beastliness truly beastly but also completely funny." -- Simon Raven
About the Author
Flann O'Brien was one of several pseudonyms of Brian O'Nolan (1911-1966), who is considered along with James Joyce and Samuel Beckett to be one of the greatest Irish writers of the twentieth century. His novels include At Swim-Two-Birds, The Poor Mouth, The Third Policeman, The Hard Life, and The Dalkey Archive.