About this title: Originally submitted and rejected for publication in 1940, this brilliant absurdist novel by Brian O'Nolan (writing as Flann O'Brien) was not published until 1967, a year after the author's death. Parts of it appeared in his 1964 novel, THE DALKEY ARCHIVE. The nameless, one-legged narrator and another man, John Divney, plot to kill their neighbor Philip Mathers and steal his moneybox. The narrator intends to use his share of the ill-gotten gains to fund research into the work of de Selby, a philosopher who rejects most of the basic principles of existence (life, darkness, etc.) as illusion. ...
read more
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Acceptable. Book is in good reading condition. Cover has wear at edges and corners, and may have creases. Spine has wear at edges and creases. read more
Description: Fine. 0007247176 New & Unread Book with Remainder Marked-May Have Slight Handling Wear From Bookstore Shelf-Instock For Immediate Shipping. read more
Edition: (Reissue)
Binding: Paperback
Date Published: 1/1/2007
ISBN-13:9780007247172ISBN:0007247176
Description: Very Good. 0007247176 May show signs of shelf wear. Choose EXPEDITED shipping, receive in 2-5 business days. Please email with questions. read more
Edition: Later Printing
Binding: S Paperback
Publisher: Plume / NAL, New York
Date Published: 1976
Description: Very Good- 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall Edgewear, rubbing to wraps, browning. From the library of noted Los Angeles poet John Thomas, with his fine calligraphic signature and date on endpaper. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Macmillan
Date Published: 1974
ISBN-13:9780330241588ISBN:0330241583
Description: Good. The cover is slightly creased. The spine is slightly ripped. The edge of this book is yellow. Page colour-Slightly discoloured in accordance with book age. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Flamingo
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780586087497ISBN:0586087494
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 2007
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date Published: 1983
ISBN-13:9780246122742ISBN:0246122749
Description: Good. EXCELLENT value for money and ready for dispatch. Delivery usually within 3/5 days. Our reputation is built on our Speedy Delivery Service and our Customer Service Team. read more
"To me, this book reminded me of Alice and Wonderland; the Irish version. O'Brien is pretty good with playing with words and confusing you while you read it, which I like. He makes you think about the nature of ordinary objects in a very different way, for example his anthropomorphism concerning bicycles is very entertaining. I like to think of inanimate objects as having personalities. I also like that the characters of his book are very limited in their scope of intellect in that they may be very skilled in one area, but completely inept in others. This book just exaggerates the ordinary a lot, and I like absurdity.
O'Brien also tries to tackle a difficult task, that is to describe a world that is not like the world we live in. Allow me to elaborate; the world he creates is so different from the world we are used to that even the idea of dimensions is different. It is hard to describe something without comparing it to something that we already know, and he does a good job of letting us know that there are things in his world that are not comparable to anything we know. For example, how can you see the back, front and side of a house all at the same time? Well, in his world you can. This reminds me of Flatland a little, and I am impressed with authors that attempt to describe the indescribable. Also he talks about a color that makes people go mad...I love it. You can't just say 'it's like yellow, but then you go crazy.' It challenges you to not only just think outside the box, but to think outside of lingual limitations, and let your mind wander into ambiguity."
"This book will blow your mind. It's as simple as that. It was given to me as a Christmas gift by a dear friend and fellow LOST fan. This book was a major touchstone for the writers as they conceived of the greatest show ever to air on television.
I devoured the book. The fact that it was written in the 1930s is stunning. It's more advanced and thrilling than most sci fi written *today* and is obviously a touchstone for many of the concepts we accept as cliches today.
I won't lie, it's a difficult book. But it's worth every mind-bending moment, and it's a ridiculous amount of fun at that."
"The narrator of this book is a trememndous jerk. He kills an old man for his money, and yet is offended when he is accused of the murder of someone else (a murder committed by someone who has something in common with him, in any case). He lies to the police, and then becomes frustrated when, instead of getting what he wants, he is caught up in a web of deceit and horror. To be fair, the horror the narrator feels here, in his own private hell, is not really all that bad. It is incredibly mind-boggling though. O'Brien's ability to invent things that are amazing as ideas is quite a strength. My favorite part of this book, however is the joke it makes of literary scholarship. Authors writing about de Selby become de Selby critics who obsess over each other and have personal vendettas and violent fights, all for an author who seems not to have been anything less than a complete fool. I think At Swim Two Birds is the better book, but this is well worth the read."
"The wackiness here is pure gold. I love a book that terrifies me on multiple levels, and I can certainly say that this book succeeded in that regard. Not to mention it is hilarious (particularly the footnotes on de Selby! Gold! Pure Gold! Don't skip them!)
I know that the conceit of this book may seem cheap, tired, cliche by this point in time, but that's not really important. This book has much more in it than plot alone. The sheer magnitude it took to create de Selby was a task of Borgesian proportions. The Policeman are delightfully maniacal. The bicycles charming. The oddities boggle the mind into a lake of soupy, metaphysical pleasure. Read it for God's sake!"
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
rating
