At Swim-Two-Birds
1939 novel by Brian O'Nolan / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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At Swim-Two-Birds is a 1939 novel by Irish writer Brian O'Nolan, writing under the pseudonym Flann O'Brien. It is widely considered to be O'Brien's masterpiece, and one of the most sophisticated examples of metafiction.
![]() First edition cover | |
Author | Flann O'Brien |
---|---|
Language | English |
Publisher | Longman Green & Co |
Publication date | 1939 |
Publication place | Ireland |
Media type | Print (hard & paperback) |
Pages | 224 pp (UK paperback edition) |
Followed by | The Third Policeman |
The novel's title derives from Snám dá Én (Middle Irish: "The narrow water of the two birds"; Modern Irish: Snámh Dá Éan), an ancient ford on the River Shannon, between Clonmacnoise and Shannonbridge, reportedly visited by the legendary King Sweeney, a character in the novel.[1]
The novel was included in Time magazine's list of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005.[2] It was also included in a list, published by The Guardian, of the 100 best English-language novels of all time.[3]