Further Cuttings

The very title suggests quite clearly what you are in for - another selection of cuttings from The Cruiskeen Lawn, a comic column in The Irish Times written by Brian O'Nolan a.k.a. Flann O'Brien a.k.a. Myles na Gopaleen between 1940 and 1965. This volume generally follows the structure of "The Best of Myles" disregarding the chronological order. It is quite neat but rather not in the spirit of the original publication which was quite purposefully absolutely unexpected in its structure and sequence. In some chapters this reorganization helps the reader to see development which otherwise could be lost but there are others where a sequence of fairly similar cuttings can get rather tedious. If O'Brien's crazy and abstract sense of humor is your cup of tea, it doesn't really matter where you start. You will be drawn into it and beg for more (fortunately there are at least four other selections). You should be warned, however, that it is a kind of acquired taste and may not agree with your tastebuds at all. In the latter case, however, it doesn't really matter which of the selections turns you off, does it?

Cruiskeen Lawn was the title of the long-running column in the Irish Times (1940-1966) written by Myles na gCopaleen. Wildly innovative, funny, biting humor, wit and wordplay characterize the column. There are three collections: The Best of Myles, Further Cuttings from Cruiskeen Lawn, and The Hair of the Dogma that give a taste of Dublin's daily bread. In addition to writing as Myles, the author, whose real name was Brian O'Nolan, wrote five novels, all available under the name Flann O'Brien. If you want a laugh, try any one of them. If you've only dipped into the font with the Best of Myles, you'll be doubly blessed by Further Cuttings.