Sunday, December 29, 2013

A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

Eh la la, as one of the characters in this book might say, what an amazing book. It boggles my mind that this book wasn't published in the author's (tragically short) lifetime - but in reality it was probably too ahead of its time. This book made me laugh audibly quite a bit, which is highly unusual for me. The main character sort of predicts the (semi-) current anti-heroes that make you cringe, like the David Brent character from The Office, but neither can you tear your eyes away from them, because you just have to see what they could possibly get up to next. Another book I can't believe I put off reading for as long as I did. Highly recommended.

I need to note that the title comes from this fantastic quote from Jonathan Swift: "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him." This is a deliciously ironic beginning to this book, and it's sadly true as well.

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