Der dritte Polizist
by Flann O'Brien
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Read in January, 1999
recommends it for:
Irish/Absurdist lit fiends
In the opening pages of the novel, the narrator, a one-legged man who has lost both his parents, falls in with a scoundrel called John Divney, who concocts a plot to rob Old Man Mathers’ cash box. The narrator agrees to this conspiracy, and the two men lay in wait for the unsuspecting fellow. When Mathers comes along the road, Divney hits him with an iron bicycle pump and urges the narrator to finish him off with a spade. The narrator complies, and when he does so he feels “the fabric of the...more
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Read in August, 2008
“Naturally, no explanation is given of what is meant by ‘abusing’ water but it is noteworthy that the savant spent several months trying to discover a satisfactory method of ‘diluting’ water, holding that it was ‘too strong’ for many of the novel uses to which he desired to put it.” — the footnote 4 of chapter XI.
A perfect book, as has been encountered a few times before. By my tastes at least. Let's count:
1. A vast array of sketchy superstitions.
2. It's own scienc...more
A perfect book, as has been encountered a few times before. By my tastes at least. Let's count:
1. A vast array of sketchy superstitions.
2. It's own scienc...more
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Read in January, 2002
When he was unable to find a publisher for this, his second novel, Flann O'Brien famously stashed the manuscript away in a drawer and told his friends that it had been lost. Some commentators actually think that he was scared of what he had been written, that something about it upset his meek Catholic soul. I don't know about that, but the book's undoubtedly disquieting. The novel sometimes feels like the clanking boiler room behind the scenes of another, less nonsensical novel, and ta...more
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Read in May, 2008
Before I begin, let me warn you.
***DO NOT READ THE INTRODUCTION UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE READ THE NOVEL** I made the mistake of reading the intro first, and that intro contains a spoiler. It gave away the entire premise of the novel. So I feel like I was gyped a bit here.
That being said, even tho I read the novel knowing the outcome, it didnt ruin the story for me at all.
TTP is hung up on de Selby (who is this dude?) some of his theories. Here are a few that really interested me: He fe...more
***DO NOT READ THE INTRODUCTION UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE READ THE NOVEL** I made the mistake of reading the intro first, and that intro contains a spoiler. It gave away the entire premise of the novel. So I feel like I was gyped a bit here.
That being said, even tho I read the novel knowing the outcome, it didnt ruin the story for me at all.
TTP is hung up on de Selby (who is this dude?) some of his theories. Here are a few that really interested me: He fe...more
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4 comments
Read in May, 2008
recommended to Ryan by:
my old bossrecommends it for: everyone
I just read this book and its great. It was my first foray into Irish literature. I like what they've done over there.
Anyway, I'll go through some of the elements you will find in this book. There are far-fetched pseudo-scientific theories posited by a fictitious philosopher named deSelby. There is a place called eternity where fantastic indescribable things happen. There are ridiculous experiments by policemen who convert light into screams by crushing it in a vice. (They trap the screams in...more
Anyway, I'll go through some of the elements you will find in this book. There are far-fetched pseudo-scientific theories posited by a fictitious philosopher named deSelby. There is a place called eternity where fantastic indescribable things happen. There are ridiculous experiments by policemen who convert light into screams by crushing it in a vice. (They trap the screams in...more
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Read in March, 2008
People turn into bikes, policeman decide how old people live by placing invisible cloths over them when they are born, underground shelters where times doesn't stop and the seemingly chaotic but highly systematic writings of an eccentric savant named de Selby to help guide us through all our thoughts and experiences.
The Third Policeman is a surreal, satirical and often highly comedic book in which the actual story matters very little in the context of the whatever the hell O'Brien is trying to...more
The Third Policeman is a surreal, satirical and often highly comedic book in which the actual story matters very little in the context of the whatever the hell O'Brien is trying to...more
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Read in May, 2007
recommends it for:
readers with enough patience for the surreal
I've been reading this gradually in between other books because there is a lot to take in -- the plot still eludes me, because the important points seem to be the encounters with other individuals, places and things. I think O'Brien might be making fun of Yeats, but I don't think I'll know until the end.
Done! finally... I spilled coffee all over this book, and had to wait for it to dry before I could pick it up again. Next time, I will make sure there is nothing left in my travel mug before ...more
Done! finally... I spilled coffee all over this book, and had to wait for it to dry before I could pick it up again. Next time, I will make sure there is nothing left in my travel mug before ...more
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Read in January, 2008
Okay, well I enjoyed this book immensely.
Some of it was just flat out bizarre, but other parts of it were brilliant! I went to Wikipedia to read up on its history, and was amazed to find that it was written almost 20 years before it was published and shelved due to lack of interest. Thank goodness things change, people learn to embrace the unusual and that someone, somewhere decided it was a good idea to publish this novella.
As mentioned by some of you, while I was reading, the bicycle...more
Some of it was just flat out bizarre, but other parts of it were brilliant! I went to Wikipedia to read up on its history, and was amazed to find that it was written almost 20 years before it was published and shelved due to lack of interest. Thank goodness things change, people learn to embrace the unusual and that someone, somewhere decided it was a good idea to publish this novella.
As mentioned by some of you, while I was reading, the bicycle...more
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6 comments
Flann O’Brien asks something exceedingly personal of his readers when they encounter his work The Third Policeman, and many may not be wholly up to the challenge. For this book, a wild romp through some of the most interesting and most terrifying aspects of the human mind, O’Brien asks for his readers to throw down what they know as common sense, and to allow what might otherwise be considered the irrational to become at least plausible as he liberally breaks conventions of modernist literat...more
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Read in January, 2007
What a strange book! I picked this up partly because of its connections both to J.W. Dunne's equally odd book An Experiment in Time (which influenced not only Flann O'Brien but also J.R.R. Tolkien and others) and partly because of its reputed connections with the plot of the TV series Lost. Seeking an explanation of Lost in The Third Policeman is problematic partly because the producers of the series, while recommending the book as a source of potential answers to questions raised by the serie...more
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Read in January, 2008
This is a marvelous little book that I picked up because of its appearance on Lost and the subsequent revelation that one could gain some insights into the mysterious island by reading the book. (Lostpedia)
It is a wickedly funny book with a text that veers off wildly in many directions. (I'm no expert on Irish literature but this appears to be a peculiar feature of that family of letters.) You may find it diff...more
It is a wickedly funny book with a text that veers off wildly in many directions. (I'm no expert on Irish literature but this appears to be a peculiar feature of that family of letters.) You may find it diff...more
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flann is most definitely your man
"of all the many striking statements made by de Selby, I do not think that any of them can rival his assertion that 'a journey is an hallucination'. The phrase may be found in the *Country Album* cheek by jowl with the well-known treatise on 'tent-suits', those egregious canvas garments which he designed as a substitute alike for the hated houses and ordinary clothing. His theory, insofar as i can understand it, seems to discount the testimony of human e...more
"of all the many striking statements made by de Selby, I do not think that any of them can rival his assertion that 'a journey is an hallucination'. The phrase may be found in the *Country Album* cheek by jowl with the well-known treatise on 'tent-suits', those egregious canvas garments which he designed as a substitute alike for the hated houses and ordinary clothing. His theory, insofar as i can understand it, seems to discount the testimony of human e...more
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1 comments
Another in the line of Absuridst/satire books I was reading.
I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it managed to dance that fine line between absurdism and gibberish very well, keeping you in an almost permanent state of almost having it figured out but never quite getting there (which is probably why the producers of Lost have endorsed it recently, though don't let that put you off).
Probably one that you appreciate after having read more than during the reading itself, in part b...more
I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it managed to dance that fine line between absurdism and gibberish very well, keeping you in an almost permanent state of almost having it figured out but never quite getting there (which is probably why the producers of Lost have endorsed it recently, though don't let that put you off).
Probably one that you appreciate after having read more than during the reading itself, in part b...more
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This is one of the 1001 books you have to read before you visit the 1001 natural wonders you have to eat before you die. Something like that. I already read At-Swim-Two-Birds a lonnnnng time ago, and that was quite amusing - mad Irish postmodern humour which the Pythons surely must have known and loved. So this one should be quite amusing too.
Later : this was one I should have read when I was 13. It's like I don't think I'll ever bother listening to Genesis now, however brilliant they may ha...more
Later : this was one I should have read when I was 13. It's like I don't think I'll ever bother listening to Genesis now, however brilliant they may ha...more
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Read in April, 2008
I read an interesting essay about O'Brien in -The New Yorker- and finally decided to give this one, which is supposed to be his most successful book, a shot. It is a remarkable book. I was suckered in by the prose, mainly, since the story is baffling and absurdist. It's supposed to be a comedy, but there were not many overwhelmingly funny moments. It was just a weird, weird story, about people turning into bicycles, and the peg-legged protagonist having conversations with his soul (named Joe), a...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
Allison, Michelle P
DO NOT READ THE INTRODUCTION!!!
The stupid reviewer gives away the surprise ending. Jerk.
I really liked this book-- I read it because A.) I'm a LOST fiend and it was the hiding place for the hatch video, and B.) I'm reading Irish literature in preparation for our trip to Ireland. I read Flann O'Brien's other well-known work, At Swim-Two_Birds and didn't really get into it until the end. Not so with The Third Policeman (or as said in an Irish accent, Da Turd Polleesman). I was immediatel...more
The stupid reviewer gives away the surprise ending. Jerk.
I really liked this book-- I read it because A.) I'm a LOST fiend and it was the hiding place for the hatch video, and B.) I'm reading Irish literature in preparation for our trip to Ireland. I read Flann O'Brien's other well-known work, At Swim-Two_Birds and didn't really get into it until the end. Not so with The Third Policeman (or as said in an Irish accent, Da Turd Polleesman). I was immediatel...more
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Read in January, 2008
This book has the most engrossing first and final two chapters of just about any books I've read. The rest of it though is very confusing and absurd. Nonsensical, really. All is explained in the end, but don't expect to be fulfilled by the "reveal". Just expect a strange, but somehow fully entertaining reading experience.
I should add also that the penultimate chapter is actually the closest thing to anything I'd call "real horror writing" in any book I've ever read. It's ...more
I should add also that the penultimate chapter is actually the closest thing to anything I'd call "real horror writing" in any book I've ever read. It's ...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Jason by:
Desmond, thanks bratha!recommends it for: people who don't know
This book was a struggle to finish. It starts out strong and then at about page 100 or so it gets a little boring and then more boring. The de Selby stuff with all the footnotes wasn't my cup of tea. I did, however like the last 15 pages a little more than the middle. But I knew the ending before going in which really hurts a good reading of this book, I'm sure. After thinking and talking about it, I think it's actually a pretty damn good story. All-in-all. If I hadn't been told of the en...more
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Read in June, 2008
I am not ashamed to say that I came to this book because it made a cameo on Lost.
Okay, couldn't keep a straight face. I am, sort of.
This book has two gears: tedium and suspense. Tedium of the circumlocutory-conversations-with-crazy-people variety (already read Swift and C.S. Lewis, thanks) and suspense of the crazy-people-about-to-kill-you-for-no-reason variety. I would have liked it better if it had laid off the slavishly boring footnotes referencing a made-up philosopher. I get ...more
Okay, couldn't keep a straight face. I am, sort of.
This book has two gears: tedium and suspense. Tedium of the circumlocutory-conversations-with-crazy-people variety (already read Swift and C.S. Lewis, thanks) and suspense of the crazy-people-about-to-kill-you-for-no-reason variety. I would have liked it better if it had laid off the slavishly boring footnotes referencing a made-up philosopher. I get ...more
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Read in June, 2007
This is definitely one of the stranger books I’ve read. The beginning is harmless enough, but then the plot takes a turn so sharp it would make Murakami dizzy. Murder, amputees, multiple dimensions (both physical and philosophical), ghosts, in-animate objects becoming animated (and vice-versa) and a slew of other shenanigans pop up around every page turn.
One thing that was rather distractive was the numerous (and lengthy) footnotes on the fictitious character De Selby. Some of the footnote...more
One thing that was rather distractive was the numerous (and lengthy) footnotes on the fictitious character De Selby. Some of the footnote...more
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