A Confederacy of Dunces (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics S.) - Softcover

Toole, John Kennedy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 014018810X ISBN 13: 9780140188103

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 1995

Synopsis

Good: A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (including dust cover, if applicable). The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels.Some of our books may have slightly worn corners, and minor creases to the covers. Please note the cover may sometimes be different to the one shown.

About this title

Review:

It's been hailed as a masterpiece and reviled as trash, but A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole has never been lightly dismissed. By creating Ignatius J. Reilly, a bigger-than-life bag of wind stuffed with some of the most comically outrageous and disturbingly insightful opinions ever put to paper, Toole made an indelible mark on the landscape of American literature--a feat recognized with the posthumous publication of this novel, followed by a Pulitzer Prize. Forced to wade the lower depths of New Orleans society, the gargantuan Ignatius, his poor mother in tow, takes us on a tour de force through the back alleys and juke joints of the French Quarter of New Orleans as he implores the gods, railing against the hypocrisy of contemporary politics and the crushing weight of late capitalism. "The luminous years ... dimmed into dross; Fortuna's wheel had turned ... Having once been so high, humanity fell so low. What had once been dedicated to the soul was now dedicated to the sale." Toole's suicide at 32 silenced a uniquely promising literary voice, denying his critics and fans the opportunity to determine whether his talent was a flash in the pan or a first spark of genius. Read A Confederacy of Dunces and you'll no doubt have formed your own inflexible opinion, which you'll defend tenaciously against all reason. --George Laney, Amazon.com

Review:

"What a delight, what a roaring, rollicking, footstomping wonder this book is. I laughed until my sides ached, and then I laughed on."

"A masterwork... the novel astonishes with its inventiveness... it is nothing less than a grand comic fugue." -- New York Times Book Review

"Crazy magnificent once-in-a-blue-moon first novel.... There is a touch of genius about Toole and what he has created." -- Publishers Weekly

"A masterwork... the novel astonishes with its inventiveness... it is nothing less than a grand comic fugue." New York Times Book Review"

"Crazy magnificent once-in-a-blue-moon first novel.... There is a touch of genius about Toole and what he has created."-- Publishers Weekly"

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 014018810X
• ISBN 13: 9780140188103
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352