At Swim Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien
This novel is a complex, metafictional work that weaves together three separate narratives. The first is about a lazy, hard-drinking college student living with his uncle, the second is about a devilish Pooka and a loquacious old man, and the third is about a fictional character named Finn who seeks revenge on his author for creating him poorly. The narratives eventually intersect in a unique and humorous way, challenging traditional ideas of story structure and character autonomy.
The 281st greatest book of all time
- Published
- 1939
- Nationality
- Irish
- Type
- Fiction
- Pages
- 200-300
- Words
- 72,000
- Original Language
- English
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This book is on the following lists:
- 4th on Top 50 Irish Novels (James Joyce Center with The Irish Times)
- 18th on 100 Best Novels in English Since 1900 (Counterpunch)
- 27th on In Which These Are the 100 Greatest Novels (ThisRecording.com)
- 47th on 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction (Larry McCaffery)
- 50th on D. G. Myers’ 50 Greatest English Language Novels (D. G. Myers)
- 723rd on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- Books of the Century (The Age (Newspaper))
- 100 Best Novels Written in English (The Guardian)
- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels (TIME Magazine)
- Donald Barthelme’s Reading List (Believer Mag)
- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition (New York Times)
- Best Books (Fiction, Prose) : Experts Choose Their Favourites (The Book "Best Books")
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)