Butterfly In The Typewriter: The Short, Tragic Life Of John Kennedy Toole And The Remarkable Story Of A Confederacy Of Dunces (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
This book was interesting at times, boring at others. I learned some facts about John Kennedy Toole that made it worth reading, but maybe the allure of his saga is that no one really knows anything about the author, who committed suicide ten years before his masterpiece was published. If you are a hardcore fan of Conferacy of Dunces or if you are a struggling author trying to wade through the business of publishing, you will find this book compelling, but otherwise, it probably isn’t worth the time. I read this biography as a primer before diving into the real deal which my adult children love very much. On first look I was not too interested in the Confederacy but based on glowing reviews by my goodreads pals here I will attempt to read the novel sometime soon. I have the hardcover book on order. My reading queue is unbelievably long these days but I guess that is a good thing considering the alternative. This book was basic reportage which I for the most part despise unless I am looking for information I cannot find on wikipedia. This served the bill, but barely. I mostly skimmed the book searching for what I could use in my understanding of the importance of the novel which happened to win a Pulitzer Prize.
What do You think about Butterfly In The Typewriter: The Short, Tragic Life Of John Kennedy Toole And The Remarkable Story Of A Confederacy Of Dunces (2012)?
Illuminating and so very sad. This volume fundamentally changed my reading of COD.
—crezia
For Toole/Confederacy geeks, but pretty insightful if you are!
—Fairy
Interesting insight into a troubled life.
—abielee
