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John Kennedy Toole

Born

in New Orleans, Louisiana, The United States

December 17, 1937

Died

March 26, 1969

Genre

Fiction

Influences

Charles Dickens, Flannery O'Connor ...more

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John Kennedy Toole was an American novelist from New Orleans, Louisiana, whose posthumously published novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981; he also wrote The Neon Bible. Although several people in the literary world felt his writing skills were praiseworthy, Toole's novels were rejected during his lifetime. Due in part to these failures, he suffered from paranoia and depression, dying by suicide at the age of 31.

Toole was born to a middle-class family in New Orleans. From a young age, his mother, Thelma, taught him an appreciation of culture. She was thoroughly involved in his affairs for most of his life, and at times they had a difficult relationship. With his mother's encouragement, Toole became a s John Kennedy Toole was an American novelist from New Orleans, Louisiana, whose posthumously published novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981; he also wrote The Neon Bible. Although several people in the literary world felt his writing skills were praiseworthy, Toole's novels were rejected during his lifetime. Due in part to these failures, he suffered from paranoia and depression, dying by suicide at the age of 31.

Toole was born to a middle-class family in New Orleans. From a young age, his mother, Thelma, taught him an appreciation of culture. She was thoroughly involved in his affairs for most of his life, and at times they had a difficult relationship. With his mother's encouragement, Toole became a stage performer at the age of 10 doing comic impressions and acting. At 16 he wrote his first novel, The Neon Bible, which he later dismissed as "adolescent".

Toole received an academic scholarship to Tulane University in New Orleans. After graduating from Tulane, he studied English Literature at Columbia University in New York while teaching simultaneously at Hunter College. He also taught at various Louisiana colleges, and during his early career as an academic he was valued on the faculty party circuit for his wit and gift for mimicry. His studies were interrupted when he was drafted into the army, where he taught English to Spanish-speaking recruits in San Juan, Puerto Rico. After receiving a promotion, he used his private office to begin writing A Confederacy of Dunces, which he finished at his parents' home after his discharge.

Toole submitted A Confederacy of Dunces to publisher Simon & Schuster, where it reached editor Robert Gottlieb. Gottlieb considered Toole talented but felt his comic novel was essentially pointless. Despite several revisions, Gottlieb remained unsatisfied, and after the book was rejected by another literary figure, Hodding Carter Jr., Toole shelved the novel. Suffering from depression and feelings of persecution, Toole left home on a journey around the country. He stopped in Biloxi, Mississippi where he committed suicide by running a garden hose in from the exhaust of his car to the cabin. After his death, his mother brought the manuscript of A Confederacy of Dunces to the attention of novelist Walker Percy, who was crucial in the book's publication. In 1981, Toole was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. ...more

Combine Editions
John Kennedy Toole’s books

Average rating: 3.89 · 317,780 ratings · 23,550 reviews · 5 distinct works • Similar authors

	A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, Walker Percy (foreword) 3.89 avg rating — 309,251 ratings — published 1980 — 293 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Neon Bible 3.78 avg rating — 8,501 ratings — published 1989 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Confederacy of Dunces by Albert Monteys (Illustrator), John Kennedy Toole 3.39 avg rating — 49 ratings — published 2026 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Best Zoo School: A Dachshund's School Days it was ok 2.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Best Zoo School: The Most Impatient Teacher and the Slowest Sloth Class 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by John Kennedy Toole (?)

“I am at the moment writing a lengthy indictment against our century. When my brain begins to reel from my literary labors, I make an occasional cheese dip.”
― John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces

tags: cheese, dip, dunce, food, history, writing

558 likes

“Apparently I lack some particular perversion which today's employer is seeking. ”
― John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces

tags: employment, job, work

310 likes

“Is my paranoia getting completely out of hand, or are you mongoloids really talking about me?”
― John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces

tags: absurd, ass, attitude, contempt, curmudgeon, hilarious, intellectual, meatsacks, mouthbreathers, pompous, pronouncements, satire, sheep

240 likes

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Polls

Please vote for the book you'd like to discuss for our May-June 2013 group read.

Mystic River by Dennis Lehane

6 votes 22.2%

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4 votes 14.8%

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

3 votes 11.1%

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3 votes 11.1%

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

3 votes 11.1%

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

3 votes 11.1%

The Burn Palace by Stephen Dobyns

3 votes 11.1%

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

1 vote 3.7%

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

1 vote 3.7%

The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates

0 votes 0.0%

27 total votes

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