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Flann O'Brien, James Joyce, and The Dalkey Archive

Flann O'Brien, James Joyce, and The Dalkey Archive Ronald L. Dotterer Having published in 1962 his third novel, The Hard Life, as a "perfect corrective to the lachrymose pomposities that infect our times," Brian O'Nolan--who wrote under the pseudonyms Flann O'Brien in his novels and Myles na Gopaleen in his newspaper columns--appealed to the editor of London's Spectator, complaining of the Irish Times's low pay, editorial ignorance, censorship, and "mutilation" of his columns.1 Oppression was something O'Nolan understood, most often facing it down with his own brand of fierce creative provocation. He was certain, for example, that the anticlerical elements in The Hard Life--its character's evocative name Kurt Fahrt, S.J., for example--meant the Censorship Board would ban the book's sale in Ireland. O'Nolan gathered his likely defense and envisioned a test case to rival the litigation over Joyce's Ulysses. The anticipated ban did not materialize, and O'Brien's novel sold out in Dublin in two days. From its scrappy start, Flann O'Brien's literary reputation had grown into establishment status equal to any post-Joyce Irish novelist. Yet Flann O'Brien spent his entire literary career in Joyce's shadow. Critical comparison with Joyce has been frequent, as have analytical comparisons of their fiction, but less often has an awareness of http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png New Hibernia Review Center for Irish Studies at the University of St. Thomas

Flann O'Brien, James Joyce, and The Dalkey Archive

New Hibernia Review , Volume 8 (2) – Sep 8, 2004

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Publisher
Center for Irish Studies at the University of St. Thomas
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 The University of St. Thomas.
ISSN
1534-5815
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Ronald L. Dotterer Having published in 1962 his third novel, The Hard Life, as a "perfect corrective to the lachrymose pomposities that infect our times," Brian O'Nolan--who wrote under the pseudonyms Flann O'Brien in his novels and Myles na Gopaleen in his newspaper columns--appealed to the editor of London's Spectator, complaining of the Irish Times's low pay, editorial ignorance, censorship, and "mutilation" of his columns.1 Oppression was something O'Nolan understood, most often facing it down with his own brand of fierce creative provocation. He was certain, for example, that the anticlerical elements in The Hard Life--its character's evocative name Kurt Fahrt, S.J., for example--meant the Censorship Board would ban the book's sale in Ireland. O'Nolan gathered his likely defense and envisioned a test case to rival the litigation over Joyce's Ulysses. The anticipated ban did not materialize, and O'Brien's novel sold out in Dublin in two days. From its scrappy start, Flann O'Brien's literary reputation had grown into establishment status equal to any post-Joyce Irish novelist. Yet Flann O'Brien spent his entire literary career in Joyce's shadow. Critical comparison with Joyce has been frequent, as have analytical comparisons of their fiction, but less often has an awareness of

Journal

New Hibernia ReviewCenter for Irish Studies at the University of St. Thomas

Published: Sep 8, 2004

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