From 'At Swim-Two-Birds'
From At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O’Brien appropriate his ingenuity in writing. His writing style was something I have never seen before, a whole other platform for writing. For the most, authors tend to exert their originality through the plot or character in their story; this is a different kind freshness. For me, it broke barriers in my mind of what innovation has to be. This kind of innovation though, I think takes a lot more work; a different level of imagination, and much more work time wise. Personally, I would choose a unique writing style that made sense to the masses, not just the intellectually elite; perhaps a few drinks before taking this novel on would help. (I guess since it’s a classic though the prior sentence may be an unintentional exaggeration. It must have been a hit at some point in time. I just can’t see anybody that I know understanding a bit of this book.) Point is though, it does something different. O’Brien doesn’t conform to normal writing standards; his writing is free as I hope I can emulate.
“When things go wrong and will not come right,
Though you do the best you can,
When life looks black as the hour of night,
A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.”
--Flann O'Brien, 'At Swim-Two-Birds'
“When things go wrong and will not come right,
Though you do the best you can,
When life looks black as the hour of night,
A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.”
--Flann O'Brien, 'At Swim-Two-Birds'
Picture at top from: http://www.byrneholics.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/at-swim-two-birds-book-cover.jpg