Written in 1941 at a time when the Gaelic League and its progeny
had a stranglehold on Irish arts and letters and the
Gaelic-speaking primitives of Galway and Connemara were sacrosanct
to Ireland's cultural commissars, this savage satire on the native
Irish peasantry brought down a storm of abuse on O'Brien's hapless
head. And you can see why: pigs, potatoes, and "the pitiable
condition of the Gael" now and evermore provide the theme,
counterpoint and variations of this tale of the life and hard times
of Bonaparte O'Coonassa, a resident of Corkadoragh, famed for its
truly Gaelic poverty, ignorance and "unfragrant" aromas. Bonaparte
lives largely on his backside on the rushes of his bad-smelling
house with his mother and grandfather, known only as The
Old-Grey-Fellow, and, of course, the pigs. His God-given stupidity
and personal squalor confirm him as a pristine Gael. Unremitting
misfortune is his lot ("the downpour comes heavily on us
unfailingly each night") but this too is his heritage and destiny.
Wickedly parodying any number of Gaelic authors, O'Brien
underscores and overstates every cliche of the destitute Irish
ennobled by hunger and strict adherence to the idiocy of rural
life. A tour de force of mock heroics, The Poor Mouth was written
in Gaelic the better to affront Ireland's cultural custodians.
Power's translation is faithfully malicious and Ralph Steadman's
malevolent drawings perfectly mirror the spirit of the text.
(Kirkus Reviews)
The classic satire from the renowned comic and acclaimed author of
'At Swim-Two-Birds' - Flann O'Brien. Flann O'Brien's gloriously
wicked satire of the traditional Irish peasant novel, The Poor
Mouth tells the shamelessly ironic story of Bonaparte O'Coonassa,
born in the West of Ireland 'on a terrible winter's night'. A hymn
to the world of potatoes, rain and 'excellent poverty', this
cruelly funny assault on the fashionable Gaelic Revival of the day
brought the wrath of the custodians of national sentiment upon
O'Brien's head for many years thereafter.
General
Imprint: |
Flamingo
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
October 1993 |
Authors: |
Flann O'Brien
|
Dimensions: |
198 x 129 x 8mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - B-format
|
Pages: |
128 |
Edition: |
New Ed |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-586-08748-0 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
General & literary fiction >
Modern fiction
|
LSN: |
0-586-08748-6 |
Barcode: |
9780586087480 |
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