Pulitzer Prize Fiction Winner
A Confederacy of Dunces
by John Kennedy Toole
Summary
A picaresque comic novel set in 1960s New Orleans, following the obese, medievalist, perpetually outraged Ignatius J. Reilly as a series of disastrous jobs around the French Quarter forces him out into the world. Toole's ear for dialect, eccentric supporting cast, and sustained farcical energy turn the city itself into a major character. The book has become a cult classic of American comic fiction.
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Historical Context & Significance
A tragic and famous win. Toole died by suicide 11 years before publication, and his mother tirelessly campaigned to get the book published, eventually succeeding with the help of author Walker Percy.