tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post6294255385259917393..comments2024-01-28T03:56:39.351-08:00Comments on TOM CLARK: Flann O'Brien: Nocturnal ExperimentsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post-9025138672821197642013-09-05T04:16:09.753-07:002013-09-05T04:16:09.753-07:00Ok, by the almost dawn's early not quite light...Ok, by the almost dawn's early not quite light, the bombs of recovered memory are bursting in the bloody-eyeball air head of the Irishman who chopped down the cherry tree. No, wait, wrong recovered memory. Upon arising the genius of the house puts me in mind of the fact that 'twas she, not I, who came up with the cunning plan of matching these illustrations, which I had found some time ago and which were ticking away all these years like the b--b (daren't say that word) in the briefcase of the character in The Secret Agent. The novel by that other Irish novelist, I mean. That is, the Polish one. Well, no, that's not quite the truth, either. I had been discussing The Third Policeman with a buck naked emeritus professor of forensic psychology, when... er, long story. The genius of the house conveniently then ordered and fetched the novel from the local branch of the town lending library. From there things began to fall into place directly. (See: "Leben", p. 61 et seq.)TChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05915822857461178942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post-87019249287619867662013-09-05T03:13:02.204-07:002013-09-05T03:13:02.204-07:00(By the by, Duncan's comment re. Madame B stuc...(By the by, Duncan's comment re. Madame B stuck in my craw to the extent of causing me to imagine her experimenting -- late one evening, deselbyesquely as it were -- with each of these inventions, in turn. Considered as so induced, her writings come to seem a bit more... I wouldn't want to say intelligible, quite, but... properly symptomatic?)TChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05915822857461178942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post-72163388499416425392013-09-05T03:05:15.842-07:002013-09-05T03:05:15.842-07:00Many thanks friends for seconding my absurd notion...Many thanks friends for seconding my absurd notion that the triumphant and exquisite folly of human ingenuity at its most inventive (see patent illustrations) finds its fictional correlative in the writings of this author. What else is there to say about Brian O'Nolan and his wonderfully funny deconstructions of the suffocating cultural straitjacket (see: video link) from which he imaginatively emerged... but in the end never could escape.<br /><br />Not that escape is any solution.<br /><br />Not that not escaping is any solution (see Manik's link).<br /><br />The manuscript of this book was turned down by a publisher when submitted shortly after being writ, then reported by O'Nolan/O'Brien to have been lost, though indeed it sat visible to all in his chambers for some twenty-six years until his death.<br /><br />It was published posthumously by his widow. <br /><br />The sentence writing. Lost art.<br /><br />A bit more gloomy than usual here beyond the pale ever since the eyeball bleeding got well underway late last week so I was as surprised as the sleepy cat next to me when I broke out laughing aloud on this one:<br /><br />"Du Garbandier himself, possibly pretending to confuse the characteristics of the English and French languages, persistently uses 'black hair' for 'black air', and makes extremely elaborate fun of the raven-headed lady of the skies who deluged the world with her tresses every night when retiring." <br /><br />Sentences like that are no longer available at the factory outlet.TChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05915822857461178942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post-90707274641129976922013-09-04T22:19:23.157-07:002013-09-04T22:19:23.157-07:00Tom,
A stained atmosphere is what i'd like to ...Tom,<br />A stained atmosphere is what i'd like to believe <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/04/obama-putin-syria-g20-summit" rel="nofollow">they</a> are trying to blow away,sitting in those rocking chairs..Mimes to follow??..i'd really like to see how they go about rubbing shoulders,unintendedly..<br />As for now i'm engrossed in these sketches..and i think i do need a hat.manik sharmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18055072451804840121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post-71305171755663039712013-09-04T12:15:56.720-07:002013-09-04T12:15:56.720-07:00This "night" business, isn't it down...This "night" business, isn't it down to the dimmer switches Madame Blavatsky had fitted in our heads?<br /><br />"You'd have to look at him twice to make sure that he was there". A very useful quality for a writer.Mose23https://www.blogger.com/profile/01100756913131511440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post-19481925631031361052013-09-04T10:16:42.515-07:002013-09-04T10:16:42.515-07:00Thanks, Tom, for a look at the lighter side of the...Thanks, Tom, for a look at the lighter side of the dark side. Always did like Flann O’Brien. Damned funny, those drawings of various absurd machines (a top hat as flotation device—the original air head!), and O’Brien’s narrative about the men who could very well be their dotty makers, who seem to have a rather tenuous grip on what’s referred to in the trades as “reality”.<br /><br />Human beings ha ha ha.Hazenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13417573435195561519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post-2469373400589930262013-09-04T07:56:22.550-07:002013-09-04T07:56:22.550-07:00Tom, These wonderful illustrations are certainly i...Tom, These wonderful illustrations are certainly in the spirit of Flann O'Brien and the Research Bureau he frequently cited in his columns. I'd love someday to be referred to as "usually unscientific and unreliable, is worth reading on this point." Cheers,<br />David<br />Be the BQEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11621320435990191224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post-32855819211408486192013-09-04T04:21:26.025-07:002013-09-04T04:21:26.025-07:00Is it about a bicycle? The story of Brian O'No...<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p8h1p3P334" rel="nofollow">Is it about a bicycle? The story of Brian O'Nolan</a>.TChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05915822857461178942noreply@blogger.com