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Flann O'Brien

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Author

The Resume

    (October 5, 1911-April 1, 1966)
    Born in Strabane, County Tyrone, Ireland
    Birth name was Brian O'Nolan
    Wrote the novels 'At Swim-Two-Birds' (1939), 'The Dalky Archive' (1964), and 'The Third Policeman' (published posthumously, 1967)
    Wrote the column 'Cruiskeen Lawn' for 'The Irish Times' under the pseudonym Myles na Gopaleen

Why he might be annoying:

    As private secretary to high-ranking politicians, he was involved in planning the Irish National Health Service -- which he simultaneously mocked in his column.
    He was forced to retire from the civil service (1953) after his remarks about certain senior politicians became too derogatory for his colleagues -- among whom his identity as 'Myles na Gopaleen' was an open secret -- to ignore.
    He was fond of writing outraged pseudonymous letters to the Irish Times protesting his pseudonymous column.
    He had a falling out with his editor at the Irish Times, Cully O'Mahony, after he stole O'Mahony's prosthetic leg during a drinking bout.
    He complained about the James Joyce literary cult ('I declare to God, if I hear that name Joyce one more time, I will surely froth at the mouth.'), but was not above quoting Joyce's praise on his book jackets.

Why he might not be annoying:

    After his father died (1937), he had to support his mother and eleven siblings on his civil service salary.
    James Joyce praised his 'true comic spirit' and attempted to find a French publisher for his work.
    Other fans of his writing include Graham Greene, Jorge Luis Borges, Anthony Burgess, and Stephen Fry.
    In Lost, the character Desmond was shown reading 'The Third Policeman'; scriptwriter Craig Wright said the book provided 'ammunition' to help interpret the show's plot.
    As a result, more copies of the book were sold in the three weeks after the episode aired than in the previous decade.

Credit: C. Fishel


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 70.0% Annoying