The Poor Mouth [Hardcover]

Flann O'Brien (Author, Editor), Ralph Steadman (Illustrator), P.C. Power (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 19, 1973

"O'Brien was one of the comic geniuses of the 20th century . . . The Poor Mouth is wildly funny and Steadman's drawings catch the spirit."—Boston Globe

The Poor Mouth relates the story of one Bonaparte O'Coonassa, born in a cabin in a fictitious village called Corkadoragha in western Ireland equally renowned for its beauty and the abject poverty of its residents. Potatoes constitute the basis of his family's daily fare, and they share both bed and board with the sheep and pigs. A scathing satire on the Irish, this work brought down on the author's head the full wrath of those who saw themselves as the custodians of Irish language and tradition when it was first published in Gaelic in 1941.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

O'Brien's wicked satire on the life of Irish peasant Bonaparte O'Coonassa was published in Gaelic in 1941 and translated into English in 1964. This edition contains illustrations by Ralph Steadman. A good companion to the MacNamara novel reviewed above.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"I discovered Flann O'Brien's The Poor Mouth during my senior year in college. At the same time, I was studying Gaelic history and feeling very self-righteous about my Irish-American heritage. As a 'born-again Irishman,' The Poor Mouth sent me into fits of giddiness. O'Brien's talent for finding humor in the doom and despair of the Irish mindset is a marvel and a joy. It's as if Yeats joined the Firesign Theatre. As the book's narrator points out so often, I do not think we shall ever hear from his like again." -- James Finn Garner, author of Politically Correct Bedtime Stories

"O'Brien was one of the comic geniuses of the 20th century. . . . The Poor Mouth is wildly funny and Steadman's drawings catch the spirit." -- Boston Globe

"Patrick C. Power has performed sorcery in translating a work so specific in its allusions and exotic in its language. Again and again, so consistently that we come to take it for granted, Mr. Power re-creates Gaelic music in English." -- John Updike, New Yorker

"The Poor Mouth is wildly funny, but there is at the same time always a sense of black evil. Only O'Brien's genius, of all the writers I can think of, was capable of that mixture of qualities." -- London Evening Standard

"The Poor Mouth shows a comic genius working close to his best capability. Humor of this quality, this intensity, is very rare; as witty in its language as in its invention, it cries to be read aloud." -- Newsweek --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Hart-Davis MacGibbon; First Edition edition (November 19, 1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0246106123
• ISBN-13: 978-0246106124
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,947,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Flann O'Brien, whose real name was Brian O'Nolan, also wrote under the pen name of Myles na Gopaleen. He was born in 1911 in County Tyrone. A resident of Dublin, he graduated from University College after a brilliant career as a student (editing a magazine called Blather) and joined the Civil Service, in which he eventually attained a senior position.

He wrote throughout his life, which ended in Dublin on April 1, 1966. His other novels include The Dalkey Archive, The Third Policeman, The Hard Life, and The Poor Mouth, all available from Dalkey Archive Press. Also available are three volumes of his newspaper columns: The Best of Myles, Further Cuttings from Cruiskeen Lawn, and At War.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the funniest book I have ever read., January 8, 2002

By 

Richard T. Rossiter "Richard T. Rossiter" (National Park, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Poor Mouth: A Bad Story About the Hard Life (Irish Literature Series) (Paperback)

I hurt myself laughing about Ambrose the foul smelling pig. An earlier reviewer noted that knowledge of gaelic liturature and Irish folklore is important in understanding the puns and satires and that is true BUT not prerequisite to enjoying this very funny story.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for Nationalists, July 6, 2003

By 

Charles J. Marr (Cambridge Springs, Pa USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Poor Mouth: A Bad Story About the Hard Life (Irish Literature Series) (Paperback)

This book is an inside joke, and a classic at that. It is a grand send up of professional Irish (both at home and abroad). As example, consider a book written in Gaelic making sport of the Gaelic movement by means of a Gaelic festival. ( In ourland of the professional ethnic festival, this might serve as an effective antidote to "Irish" nights and "Scots weekends.") If you are inclined to romanticize villages of the old sod dominated by pigs, mud, rain and potatos, avoid this work. If you want a great classic of the jaundiced eye school of literature, read this book. By the way, some of the fun lies in the many parodies of Irish literary works in the assorted chapters; knowledge of the genre helps.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top ten, November 23, 1999

By 

Simon Larter (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Poor Mouth: A Bad Story About the Hard Life (Irish Literature Series) (Paperback)

Flann O'Brian is one of those writers who never really leaves your imagination. It is some time since I have read the Poor Mouth but I have no hesitation to recommend it to anyone. It is difficult to describe the book. It leaves a sensation of extraordinary humour. O'Brian brings amazing colour in his portrayal of life during the Irish famine, and a warmth which makes you want to travel to Ireland immediately just in case some of the stories, sometimes bleak, but always sharp and very funny happen to you.

Also read The Third Policeman which will appeal if you have any sense of the absurd, and look out for his anthology of columns written for the Irish Times under the name of Miles Nagopoleen(Spelling?). O'Brian deserves cult status because of his enviable use of language and nuace without being worthy.

Buy 2 copies and give one to a friend.