The Poor Mouth: A Bad Story about the Hard Life

Front Cover
Dalkey Archive Press, 1996 - Fiction - 128 pages

"The Poor Mouth" relates the story of one Bonaparte O'Coonassa, born in a cabin in a fictitious village called Corkadoragha in western Ireland equally renowned for its beauty and the abject poverty of its residents. Potatoes constitute the basis of his family's daily fare, and they share both bed and board with the sheep and pigs. A scathing satire on the Irish, this work brought down on the author's head the full wrath of those who saw themselves as the custodians of Irish language and tradition when it was first published in Gaelic in 1941.

From inside the book

 

Selected pages

Contents

Section 1
17
Section 2
57
Section 3
73
Section 4
83
Section 5
91
Section 6
117
Section 7
121
Copyright

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The Poor Mouth: A Bad Story about the Hard Life
Flann O'Brien
Snippet view - 1973

Common terms and phrases

alive amazing Ambrose appearance arose ashes Béal Bocht breeches carousing in Scotland CHAPTER coming Connemara Corkadoragha countryside creature dancing darkness Donegal door drenched and wet Dublin Dunquin earnest about Gaelic English eternity evil thing eyes famine father fear feet feis fellow fire five-noggin bottle Gaelic paupers Gaeligore Gaels Gaeltacht gentleman glen Gweedore hardship heart hunger Hunger-stack ill-luck Ireland It's a wonderful Jams O'Donnell lived looked Martin O'Bannassa misadventure misery misfortune morning mother Myles Myles na Gopaleen night nocturnal noticed O'Coonassa O'Sanassa Old-Fellow Old-Grey-Fellow peeler Peter O'Leary piglets Poor Mouth potatoes putrid quietly rain reached replied returned road rock Rosses rushes safe Sea-cat seals shanachee Sitric skull smell soul spuds stench stood story suddenly sweet talk There's thought Tis true took townland truly Gaelic twould walk weather wind wonderful word

References to this book

About the author (1996)

Flann O'Brien, whose real name was Brian O'Nolan, also wrote under the pen name of Myles na Gopaleen. He was born in 1911 in County Tyrone. A resident of Dublin, he graduated from University College after a brilliant career as a student (editing a magazine called Blather) and joined the Civil Service, in which he eventually attained a senior position. He wrote throughout his life, which ended in Dublin on April 1, 1966. His other novels include The Dalkey Archive, The Third Policeman, The Hard Life, and The Poor Mouth, all available from Dalkey Archive Press. Also available are three volumes of his newspaper columns: The Best of Myles, Further Cuttings from Cruiskeen Lawn, and At War.

Bibliographic information

TitleThe Poor Mouth: A Bad Story about the Hard Life
G - Reference,Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series
Irish literature series
AuthorFlann O'Brien
Editionillustrated, reprint
PublisherDalkey Archive Press, 1996
ISBN1564780910, 9781564780911
Length128 pages
Subjects › 

Fiction / General
  
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