Abstract:

Challenging the narrative that Flann O’Brien wrote two good novels and then retired to the inferior medium of journalism (as Myles na gCopaleen), Flann O’Brien: Contesting Legacies engages with overlooked shorter, theatrical, and non-fiction works and columns (’John Duffy’s Brother’, ’The Martyr’s Crown’, ’Two in One’) alongside At Swim-Two-Birds, The Third Policeman, and An Béal Bocht. The depth and consistency of O’Nolan’s comic inspiration that emerges from this scholarly engagement with his broader body of work underlines both the imperative and opportunity of reassessing O’Brien’s literary legacy.

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