O'Brien, Flann

O'Brien, Flann, pseud. for Brian Ó Nualláin (ō nō`lən) 1911–66, Irish novelist and political commentator. Born in County Tyrone and raised in Dublin, he entered the Irish civil service in 1937 and formally retired in 1953. From 1940 until his death, he wrote a political column called "Cruiskeen Lawn" for The Irish Times, under the pseudonym of Myles na Gopaleen; his biting, satiric commentaries made him the conscience of the Irish government. As Flann O'Brien, he published three wildly funny novels, At Swim–Two–Birds (1939, rep. 1960), The Dalkey Archive (1964), and The Third Policeman (1976), and well as Faustus Kelly (1943), a play.

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O'Brien, Flann

 orig. Brian Ó Nuallain

(born Oct. 5, 1911, Strabane, County Tyrone, Ire.—died April 1, 1966, Dublin) Irish novelist, dramatist, and newspaper columnist. Under the name Myles na gCopaleen, he wrote a column for the Irish Times for 26 years. He is most celebrated for the novel At Swim-Two-Birds (1939), a literary experiment that combines folklore, legend, humour, poetry, and linguistic games. His other novels include The Hard Life (1961) and The Dalkey Archive (1964).