A good deal of this collection was beyond my comprehension -- being firmly rooted in a time and place that I have scant knowledge of. What can you expect of a book that consists of thirty years' work by a newspaper columnist (and novelist), however brilliant? However, even though the average reader isn't privileged to understand all the references Myles makes to local concerns, at times his columns hit a mark of comic brilliance that is unmatched. Consider, for example, several columns devoted to Myles' concept of "Buchhandlung" - perennial favorites of mine. Myles' idea was that most people would rather appear to be well read than to actually be well read. So, in a fine entrepreneurial scheme, he proposes setting up a "Bookhander" service -- he will personally come in and give your library the well-thumbed look that makes it seem you have read all those impressive tomes. "Why should a wealthy person... be put to the trouble of pretending to read at all? Why not a professional book-handler to go in and suitably maul his library for so-much a shelf? Such a person, if properly qualified, could make a fortune." He then goes through a litany of the types of "handling" that he would be willing to do - and how much each type would cost, from "Popular Handling" (including insertion of tram tickets or other casual book marks to dog-earing four pages per volume) to "Premier Handling" (insertion of cryptic learned marginalia, extensive underlining, the insertion of a leaflet in French on the works of Victor Hugo).Miles spins out this idea for an impressive number of pages. And if you can read it without tears of laughter streaming down your face, then there's little hope for you in this world of strife.
The first thing that comes to mind when reading something like this, or the collected Don Marquis, is that I wish there were columnists writing like this today. The closest we've come in my lifetime is probably Dave Barry, and that's not really a great comparison, as Barry's style of humor is very different.This might have gotten five stars, but I don't like the way they compiled these columns, which they did by theme. Some of the themes feel more forced than others, and they still have 100 pages of "miscellaneous" at the end. I love many of his themes, like the Brother, and Keats & Chapman, but by the time you get to the end of their thematic section they are gone never to crop up again, and often they are better in small doses, which would be better suited to splitting them up throughout as I understand O'Brien did.*Still great stuff, but I would love it if they organized it in a more organic fashion, closer to how they originally appeared in print.*I'm referring to him as O'Brien because that appears to be the agreed upon pseudonym under which to sort all of the various pseudonyms used.
What do You think about The Best Of Myles (1999)?
A charming collection of column entries from one of my favourite Irish writers. The whole collection has the English-through-the-lens-of-Irish feel that characterises O'Brien's writing, with the exception of those few columns written in various flavours of Irish, which were charming, to the extent that I could follow them. At its maddest, it is stranger than The Third Policeman and At Swim Two Birds, and more light-hearted fun than An Béal Bocht. It's truly fantastic and a personal favourite, beating out some of the other collections (Myles Before Myles, Further Cuttings, and Myles from Dublin), though they set a high bar.
—Sirjolt
This bumper-sized collection of Cruiskeen Lawn columns runs to 400 pages in a small 10pt font. You would be mistaken for thinking this covers his entire career at the Irish Times. In fact, it only covers from 1940-1945. Begad!Bearing this in mind, his output was extraordinary. The range of wit, erudition, linguistic skill and creativity is outrageous. Among the funniest columns are the "Research Bereau," "The Brother" and the "Catechism of Cliché." O'Brien is at his finest when taking a ridiculous idea and stretching it to breaking point.His grasp of language is also amazing. This book bedazzles with endless wordplay and puns. There are also frequent forays into Latin and French, as well as an entire section written in Gaelic. The section "Miscellenous" is less successful. There are one too many rambling and baffling columns here, and the book does seem to run on forever.Still: a top read and the definitive collection of O'Brien's articles and genius during wartime Ireland. A pint of Flann is your only man.
—MJ Nicholls
So within my version of The Best of Myles, an aptly named Kevin O'Nolan was kind enough to write a pithy yet quite lovely preface. As you gander through my abbreviated cull of his abridged introductory remarks, you should quickly notice that this aptly named Kevin easily understands, but does not thoroughly underestimate, one Brian O'Nolan née Flann O'Brien née Myles na Gopaleen. See for yourself:In the present selection articles are separated by asterisks. Where the topic was continued, the continuation follows the asterisks. Accordingly the asterisks denote the conclusion of an article or a lapse of time before resuming. Apart from single or continued articles the selection includes shorter extracts, also isolated by asterisks.You see? Warning: Long SentenceIt's not often that I celebrate the genius of an author by instead opining on an artistic quote supplied via the pithy preface of that author's celebrated tome by a somewhat namesake contributor (see the nées) so please do go on ahead and mark this blessed event in your calendar whilst you attempt to update your diary because obviously it's a red-letter day of great importance.
—Daniel
