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Title details for The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien - Available

The Third Policeman

by Flann O'Brien
Jim Norton
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
Flann O'Brien's most popular and surrealistic novel concerns an imaginary, hellish village police force and a local murder. Weird, satirical, and very funny, its popularity has suddenly increased after the novel was featured in the hit television series Lost. The series' creators have said that anyone who has read the book "will have a lot more ammunition when dissecting plotlines" of the show. Here it comes to life in a new unabridged recording. "Even with Ulysses and Finnegans Wake behind him, James Joyce might have been envious" wrote one critic about the work of Flann O'Brien.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    March 22, 2007

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9789629546007
      • File size: 193826 KB
      • Duration: 06:43:48

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Text Difficulty: 9-12

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      This bizarre tale, considered a modern Irish classic, is experiencing renewed attention after having been mentioned in various episodes of the television series "Lost." An unnamed protagonist and his accomplice, John Divney, commit a robbery and murder. Afterwards, the story becomes surreal, with the main character encountering philosophy-spouting policemen and experiencing other weird occurrences. Jim Norton's Irish accent is appropriate to the setting. His tone maintains a deadpan, offhand manner, which becomes increasingly chilling after the murder is committed. While this interpretation is fitting for the surrealism of the narrative and may appeal to those with a taste for the eccentric, it's not a gripping listen. One is left with a sense of having missed the point--and not really caring. M.H.N. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from May 28, 2007
      If ever a book was brought to life by a reading, it is this presentation of O’Brien’s posthumously published classic. Norton individually crafts voices and personalities for each character in such a way that a listener might imagine an entire cast of voice talent working overtime. This is a comic/surreal tale of a one-legged gentleman farmer who participates in a poorly planned botched robbery-turned-murder, only to find himself having a long conversation with the dead man shortly after the deed. In addition he hears from his own soul, who he names “Joe.” Joe’s voice is that of a wry observer with a voice of calm, removed authority, whereas dead man Mathers’ voice is completely nasal, at once sickly and droll. Mathers sends the farmer to a two-dimensional barracks of three metaphysical policemen. Here he finds himself in a world where people can become bicycles and eternity is within walking distance. Norton’s rendition of the main policeman, Sergeant Pluck, tips the reading into a full-out performance. The enormous blustery fellow with red cheeks and brushy mustache and eyebrows is portrayed like a jolly yet dangerous Disney walrus. Norton’s Irish brogue, accentuated to different degrees with the various characters, ties the ribbon on a perfect presentation of this absurd and chilling masterpiece.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      The book begins by detailing an odd relationship between two men. A flashback shows something is amiss, and the scene unfolds to a horrible crime. The story suddenly falls into a fantastical, almost stream-of-consciousness, tale of time-travel, with one of the men journeying with police officers in an investigation of a missing bicycle. This complicated novel's saving grace is an unexpected ending, and Jim Norton's narration. He employs varying tones and pitches, and one of the officers' voices is a wonderful Indian-British accent with a friendly, commanding authority. This story will irk some listeners; others will be intrigued. (At the end, listeners learn why the shift to the fantastical happens so fast.) There's little character development, but listeners won't mind as Norton does a good job as guide. M.B. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Text Difficulty:9-12

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