Written around 1965; first published 1980.
As an antidote to the grimness, bankruptcy, politics and plain old despair that seems to surround one, books like this are precious. I found this years ago before it became a minor (now a major) cause celebre (yes I’m doing that snobbish I-was-cool-before-you-was thing). But I’m not saying that to brag, only to muse about what an utter astounding delight it was to happen across. I’m not even sure of the circumstances; it might have been in my thousandth trip into a used book store, on a random recommendation from another denizen, or just from picking it up and leafing through it. In any case, yes, it is that funny. Or I should say, it’s that funny if your sense of humor finds that style funny. It so happens that I do (but I also think Max Shulman and S. J. Perlman are hilarious, while the anthology “Mirth of a Nation” barely made me smile. Humor is an awful personal thing.)
My recommendation: don’t buy humourous books at full price, or check them out of your local library first. But this particular book needs a honored place on your bookshelf, no matter how few books you have.
The best movie you’ll never see?
The other amusing lore about this book is its legendary trip around Hollywood in order to get filmed. The closest it came was years ago when Steven Soderbergh seemed like he was ready to attempt to film it, but the project fell apart and at this point (2009) I don’t know if there’s any interest at all in making a movie out of it. My personal choice to play Ignatius was comedian/actor Avery Schreiber but he passed away in 2002 and would have been too old anyway for the character, I guess….
There was a reading with Will Ferrell as Ignatius (and Mos Def as Burma Jones) at a film festival back in 05 or so. Will Ferrell? I like him, he can be hilarious, but I can hardly see him as Ignatius. I would love to hear audio of that reading or some of it.
The last thing heard from on the movie idea was that Philip Seymour Hoffman was being considered. He could physically pull it off much better. I don’t really know his film work as a comic actor so much, but the shtick of Ignatius might work for him, as Ignatius is defined by ego and pompousness rather than being a broad comic character.
Love it or hate it?
I went to a site called goodreads.com where people discuss their favorite (and least favorite) books. The different responses of people to CoD is astounding; some people just detest it and others find it the funniest thing they’ve ever read. One reviewer even finds it’s an accurate litmus test for whether she’s going to get along with someone or not. In a way I have to agree with her. Everyone’s sense of humor is a little different, and it’s quite personal.
The first thing I would ask anyone who loves or hates it is: how old are you? Yes, I know that sounds ageist, but in general I can hardly see anyone under 30 or 40 being very interested in its style or characterizations.
The best sequel you’ll never read?
It’s tragic that Toole took his own life, supposedly in large part due to the indifference of the publishing world to this novel (which was not published in his lifetime.) More’s the pity, since this book ends with a great climax, but it really begs for a sequel.
Years ago I outlined and started some writing for such a sequel, but am hardly in Toole’s class as a writer. Perhaps someday some unknown scribe will channel Toole and provide us with the further adventures of Ignatius.
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