The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien
"The Third Policeman" is a darkly comedic and surreal novel about a nameless narrator who, after committing a murder to raise funds for his scholarly obsession with a bizarre pseudo-scientific theory, finds himself wandering in an eerie, nightmarish landscape. He encounters strange characters, including a pair of eccentric policemen who are obsessed with bicycles, and becomes embroiled in a series of increasingly absurd and ludicrous situations. The novel explores themes of existence, reality, and the nature of hell, with a twist ending that forces the reader to question everything they've read.
The 403rd greatest book of all time
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This book is on the following lists:
- 7th on Top 50 Irish Novels (James Joyce Center with The Irish Times)
- 697th on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- Donald Barthelme’s Reading List (Believer Mag)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- Daily Telegraph's 100 Books of the Century, 1900-1999 (Daily Telegraph)
- Modern Fantasy: The 100 Best Novels (Modern Fantasy: The 100 Best Novels (Book))
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)