Desde el lapidario primer párrafo, ’La vida dura’ de Flann O’Brien te atrapa. Esta vez el escritor irlandés se aleja de esas novelas con excéntricos inventores y demás detalles fantásticos (aunque O’Brien desliza en cierto momento un elemento de este tipo), como ocurría en ‘El Tercer Policía’ y ‘Crónica de Dalkey’, para centrarse más en las costumbres sociales de un grupo de personajes, aparentemente absurdo. La narración transcurre de forma diáfana y brillante, mostrándonos lo absurdo de la condición humana.Narrada en primera persona, Finbarr, el protagonista de ’La vida dura’, nos va contando algunos hechos de su inverosímil existencia. Tras la muerte de su madre, Finbarr y su hermano se trasladan a vivir a casa de la familia de su medio tío, el señor Collopy. A partir de aquí, vamos asistiendo a las diversas observaciones de Finbarr. Especialmente interesantes, son las conversaciones que mantienen, siempre en la cocina de la casa, el señor Collopy, típico y tópico irlandés, y Fahrt, un padre jesuita, que intenta mantener un tanto la cordura. La nota surrealista, delirante y humorística la pone el hermano de Finbarr, en busca siempre del mejor negocio. Y para ello se le ocurren ideas como cursos disparatados por correspondencia.No es la mejor novela de Flann O’Brien, pero sí es una buena lectura.
This story is told in the first person by a boy orphaned by age five, who, along with his older brother in Dublin, moved in 1890 to the home of his half-uncle, where the narrator, Finbarr, eventually was placed in a Catholic school with all the brutal pedagogy typical of the time. The confusions and uncertainties of a young boy at that age are clear and poignant. He is a somewhat simple and not very reliable narrator, his brother being more of a con-man who builds up a small fortune in dubious exploits. Much of the novel focuses on conversations between the uncle and local Jesuit cleric, parodying Irish politics, the state of the nation, and Catholicism. The tone of the book is gently caustic, its structure rather rambling. I found the book easy and quick to read, moderately amusing, and an interesting glimpse into Dublin life at the turn of the last century, but it is not one of O’Brien’s stronger efforts and less interesting and well written than James Joyce’s Dubliners, which provides a deeper and more sensitive window into Dublin life.
What do You think about The Hard Life (1996)?
Growing up in Dublin at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries for sure was not the easiest thing . Joyce knew something about it too -see Portrait of the artist ... . Certain themes , to mention Irishness and Catholicism , are common here . Albeit , there where Joyce had thundered , O'Brien has just mocked .Novel , starting in truly Dickensian way , very soon transforms into a grotesque satire launching an attack at all the Irish holiness. O’Brien’s Dubliners , in the haze of alcohol , waste the whole days on discussions about religion ( disputation about the Decalogue ! ), politics and the nation . But when only it’s getting too seriously , O'Brien winks at us , offering an absurd idea of correspondence course of everything or story about pitiful consequences of drinking a mysterious mixture .Nothing more effectively disarms the temptation of heroism and martyrology than ..... physiology .
—Agnieszka
Hilarious, as usual, but not at quite the insane level of greatness as The Third Policeman and At Swim-Two-Birds. What, you haven't read either of those yet? Go do it! (Start with 3rd P.)As funny as The Hard Life is, it's more... familiar than those early works, which is a little tragic. AS2B didn't sell well, and 3rd P wasn't published until after his death. One can't help but wish 3rd P had been recognized for the genius work it was. What other mad gems might he have produced if he'd received more encouragement in it?I suppose it must be difficult for those ahead of their time.
—David
Orphans Manus and Finbarr are sent to live with their uncle Mr. Collopy. Collopy is obsessed with his secret scheme to have women's restrooms and toilets installed around early 20th century Dublin. His co-schemer is the German Jesuit Father Fahrt. Manus, in the meantime, begins ransacking scientific works and republishing them as his own under various pseudonyms and selling them to the gullible by mail-order (How to Tight-Rope Walk, Cultivating the Sours, Dentistry, etc.) Finbarr hates school, learns how to drink, and sad-sackily watches all these goings-on with barely more than a passing interest. A weirdly distant and insane novel, with a stellar ending.
—J.M. Hushour
