(thanks to the vagaries of quantum mechanics) along with endless footnotes quoting a deranged fictive philosopher called De Selby, it proved too much for his London publisher, who declined the manuscript. A dejected O’Brien abandoned fiction for over 20 years, devoting himself instead to a regular newspaper column, often written in a surreal mixture of Irish and English, but, most of all, to whiskey. The Irish Department of Local Government, of which O’Brien was theoretically in charge, somehow survived. Today, his U.S. sales have abruptly rocketed due to an unexpected appearance of a copy of The Third Policemen in an episode of the TV series Lost.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Zoë Heller named a five best list of literary portraits of sisters for the Wall Street Journal.

One title on theonly 20 pages, citing as her chief objections the "goody-goodyness" of the Marches and "the lame way they go on about their gloves."

Sunday, March 28, 2010

At the Guardian, John Mullan named a list of ten of the best priests in literature.

One priest on the list:

Villette by Charlotte Brontë

Working as a teacher in Villette (Brussels), Lucy Snowe is revolted but fascinated by all the trappings of Catholicism. Père Silas, a clever, threatening local priest, rescues her when she collapses in the street, but when she resists his religious blandishments he begins plotting against her.

This was probably the first book I ever read. It touched upon racism in such a powerful way so it naturally left a huge imprint on me. It’s a beautifully written book and while it’s the