I return to one of my favourite humourists, Flann O'Brien, as it just happens that I read a collection of his Stories and Plays. I think this is required reading for all Flann fans, bringing to our attention
some of his theatre work, his unfinished novel Slattery's Sago Saga, as
well as a typical O'Brien piece on James Joyce (James Joyce in the Dark) and a number of short stories, the best of which is, to my mind, The Martyr's Crown (turned into a short film in 2009). Claud Cockburn's
introduction is also very illuminating.
Yet another interesting read for Flann fans is Rhapsody in Stephen's Green / The Insect Play, a lost work by Flann / Myles na
Gopaleen, which is, in fact, an interesting and highly personalised adaptation of a play by
the Czech writer Karel Capek (with Joseph Capek).
A
humorous (close to sarcastic) look at the human condition through
episodes from the life of insects, this play shows Flann / Myles at the
height of his creative powers, with superb powers of characterisation.
The "Dublinisation" of the setting and characters is very successful,
and the lovers of Myles' Cruiskeen Lawn column will recognise elements
of it in here. The text also benefits from an introduction by editor Robert Tracy recounting how the play fared during its theatre career and how exactly it got to be lost.
