Academic Scientific JournalsIrish landscape in the text and on the cover of Flann O’Brien’s satirical novel An Béal Bocht published by An Preas Náisiúnta in 1941
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26881/bp.2026.1.06Keywords:
Flann O’Brien, An Béal Bocht, landscape, Irish revival, Irish-language autobiographyAbstract
An Béal Bocht (1941) by Myles na gCopaleen – Brian Ó Nuallain, better known as Flann O'Brien – is considered one of the first novels representing modern trends in Irish literature and a parody of the Irish-language autobiography genre. The article discusses the use of a land-scape description found in it, correlating with excerpts from the autobiographical novel Fiche Blian ag Fás (1933) by Muiris Ó Suilleabhain. It also examines the scenery presented on the cover of the first edition of An Béal Bocht published by An Preas Naisiunta in the context of the dustjackets of the first edition of Ó Suilleabhain’s autobiography and of Tomas Ó Criomhthain’s books: Allagar na hInise (1928), An t-Oileánach (1929) and the translation of the latter novel into English – The Islandman (1934). It shows that the very use of landscape elements demonstrates that O’Brien’s novel is far more complex than it is suggested by its description provided in the catalogue of the National Library of Ireland, as a “parody of Tomás O’Crohan’s An t-Oileánach, with satire on the Gaelic League”.
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References
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List of figures
Figure 1. The front cover of An Béal Bocht by Flann O’Brien, with cover art by Seán O’Sullivan, as first published by An Preas Náisiúnta in 1941. Source: Wikipedia. Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_B%C3%A9al_ Bocht. Accessed 23.02.2026.
Figure 2. The back cover of Flann O’Brien’s An Béal Bocht (1941), with cover art by Seán O’Sullivan, and a frame from the Man of Aran (1934) directed by Robert J. Flaherty. Sources: Internet auction. Available at https://www.fonsiemealy.ie/catalogue/lot/2b2e1a6 a76d5c530389dc8e6fc3537a9/bd96274c72c9a29dd7166834123 67761/christmas-rare-books-collectors-sale-lot-968/. Accessed 23.02.2026; You Tube. Available at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=0Jxn U0_BFzw. Accessed 23.02.2026.
