Flann O'Brien is the pseudonym of Brian O Nullain, who was born in 1911 in Co. Tyrone, Ireland. After a brilliant student career at University College, Dublin, he did linguistic research in Germany and then joined the Irish civil service. He seems to have been greatly influenced by James Joyce, a fellow countryman, as can be traced in the experimental blend of satire, fantasy and farce in At Swim-Two-Birds. His other books and plays include An Beal Bocht, a work written in Irish, The Third Policeman (1940), Faustus Kelly (1943), The Hard Life (1960), and The Dalkey Archive, which was produced on the Dublin stage in 1965. As 'Myles na Gopaleen' he was a well-known satirical columnist for the Irish Times. A legendary figure amongst Irish writers, he lived with his wife in Dublin until his death in 1966.
