At War (Irish Literature Series) [Paperback]

Flann O'Brien (Author), John Jackson (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Irish Literature Series | Publication Date: January 1, 2004

"A feast of a book."—The Independent

Like The Best of Myles and Further Cuttings from Cruiskeen Lawn (both available from Dalkey Archive Press), At War is a collection of Flann O'Brien's columns written for the Irish Times under the pseudonym Myles na Gopaleen. Taken from the war years of 1940-45, these writings provide plenty of acerbic wit and persistent prodding of "the good people of Ireland." And in typical O'Brien fashion, no one is safe from his opinionated attacks. His oftentimes hysterical musings include discussions of theater, what it means to be Irish, ideas for alternative pubs and liquors, advice for children, and ways to improve the home.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Civil servant and satirist Brian O'Nolan (1911-1966), aka Flann O'Brien (for his comic novels) or Myles na gCopaleen (for his humorous, highly opinionated newspaper column), is resurrected in this collection of his "Cruiskeen Lawn" columns for the Irish Times. Culled from na gCopaleen's WWII period work and never before published in book form, the columns veer from virulent invective to "a good laugh." Jackson notes that "the original reader opening his morning paper had no idea whether Myles was going to amuse, anger, surprise, disgust or bore him," and his selection preserves the chronological order of the original publication in an effort to "restore something of Myles' unpredictability." However, the erratic groupings, tacked together by the editor's enigmatic chapter titles and notes, appear inchoate and limp, compared to other collections of na gCopaleen's columns (The Best of Myles and Further Cuttings from Cruiskeen Lawn). Still, na gCopaleen's penchant for offbeat subjects (such as Ibsen's dandruff), his caustic wit ("I am, as you know, an Irish person and I yield to gnomon in my admiration and respect for the old land.") and playful puns ("As for drink, they tell me it gives you a red nose, a complaint that can be passed on to your children. Damn nosa how red it is!") offer a hilarious glimpse of both the meaningful and mundane in WWII Ireland. When the layers are peeled away, they reveal an imaginative comic genius with a genuine gift for language. Hector McDonnell's cartoons add to the hilarity.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

For a quarter-century, O'Brien (ne Brian O'Nolan) wrote, under the name Myles na gCopaleen ("Myles of the ponies"), up to six installments per week of his Irish Times (Dublin) column "Cruiskeen Lawn" ("a full jug"). Despite five previous gatherings of "cuttings," there remains enough "Lawn," just from 1940 to 1945, for this book --manna (from heaven?) for those who consider him the funniest twentieth-century writer in English (he also wrote whole columns in Irish and puns in Latin, French, German, Spanish, etc.). Verbal, conceptual, and punctuational play was his forte, deployed in the service of a slashing, dour wit given to flights of sublime ridiculousness. As Myles, he was a sage, if drink-sodden and tobacco-wracked, elder whose philanthropical advice and enterprise went unheeded when they did not result in unforeseen disaster. He also reported the adventures of Keats and Chapman (yes, the poet and the translator of Homer --don't ask; read!), the doings of the Brother, dialogues with (apparently) his many selves, and the idiocies of Irish politics, government, and culture. Priceless! Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564783286
• ISBN-13: 978-1564783288
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,415,155 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

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An emphatic, opinionated and sharply resonating discourse, March 7, 2004

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At War (Irish Literature Series) (Paperback)

Compiled, edited, and with an informative introduction by John Wyse Jackson, At War is an impressive and much appreciated collection of the columns of Brian O'Nolan (1911-1966) which were originally penned for "The Irish Times" during the war years of 1940 to 1945 under the pseudonym of Flann O'Brien. An emphatic, opinionated and sharply resonating discourse that simply does not back off or back down, At War is a stirring account of real problems in troubled times and of one man's determination to speak out and be heard. One of the titles in the outstanding "Lannan Selection Irish Literature Series" from Dalkey Archive press, At War is a welcome and recommended addition to Irish Cultural Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.