Young Writers Society

For the moment, the name of the author escapes me, but the title is "A Confederacy of Dunces."

The book follows the adventures of one Ignatius P. Reilly through his turbelent journey through New Orleans. A thirty year old man who still lives with his mother, Ignatius very rarely leaves the house, much less his room, except to buy tasty treats with his mother, otherwise he writes his book, which is going along at an average of six paragraphs per month. Yet, Ignatius is an extremely smart man, but feels that the entire world has gone mad. He is suddenly thrust into the world when his mother finally forces him to get a job, and thus the reader follows Mr. Reilly from his job at Levy Pants, to his attempt to set up a political party for "deviates" of society, and finally through his travails as a hot dog vendor, which he feels is most certainly the noblest of professions. Yet, all is not well. His mother becomes increasingly annoyed with him, and Ignatius feels as if the entire world has gone even more insane.

"A Confederacy of Dunces" is a comical book that casts Ignatius as a sort of comic tragic figure for one cannot help but laugh at him as he goes about his pompous ways just as one cannot help but feel sorry for him as the reader witnesses his breakdown. In the end, though, there is a glimmer of hope for Ignatius as he finally manages to escape his world.

To anybody who likes good literature and a funny read, pick up this book! It won a pulitzer prize and is definitely one of the funniest books that I have ever read. What I am most impressed by was how the author manages to write the dialogue in such a way that each and every single character has their own manner of speaking.

Great book. Probably my favorite. By John Kennedy O'Toole. One of the few books my brilliant father has ever recommended to me. Very real. It is the absolute tragic comedy. The author never wrote another book, he actually committed suicide, and his mother brought the manuscript to the editor, sobbing. the editor only looked at it to appease a grieving mother and was shocked at a masterpiece.
Everyone should read it, really shows life.