Irish novelist and playwright Brian Nolan (1911 – 1966), considered a major figure in twentieth century Irish literature (and in postmodern literature) For his English language novels, such as ‘At-Swim-Two-Birds’ and ‘The Third Policeman’, he used the pseudonym Flann O’Brien. His regular columns in The Irish Times (satirical pieces, their scorn and biting humour aimed at such targets as the Dublin literary elite, Irish language revivalists, the Irish government, and the Plain People of Ireland.), and an Irish language novel ‘An Beal Bocht’, were written under the name Myles na gCopaleen (Myles of the Little Horses).. As a novelist, ONolan was influenced by James Joyce, but was nonetheless scathing of the cult of Joyce which overshadows much of Irish writing, saying I declare to God if I hear that name Joyce one more time I will surely froth at the gob. From At-Swim-Two-Birds: “Characters should be interchangeable as between one book and another. The entire corpus of existing literature should be regarded as a limbo from which discerning authors could draw their characters as required, creating only when they failed to find a suitable existing puppet. The modern novel should be largely a work of reference. Most authors spend their time saying what has been said before – usually said much better. A wealth of references to existing works would acquaint the reader instantaneously with the nature of each character, would obviate tiresome explanations and would effectively preclude mountebanks, upstarts, thimble-riggers and persons of inferior education from an understanding of contemporary literature.” Brian Nolan in Dublins Palace Bar, in the black fedora that made him look, in the words of critic Hugh Kenner, like a gangster crossed with a tiny priest.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 11:49:24 +0000