John Kennedy Tooles hero, one Ignatius J. it is nothing less than a grand comic fugue.'-The New York Times Book Review A Confederacy of Dunces is an American comic masterpiece. the novel astonishes with its inventiveness. This tale about a reclusive novelist and her young amanuensis, from the author of The Miniaturist, is read by the actor Hayley Atwell. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize 'A masterwork. The actor, screenwriter and director narrates a series of autobiographical essays on illness, bereavement and the trauma of starring in Terry Gilliam’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen at the age of eight. Through 400 pages which is relatively long for a book in which nothing happens we follow Ignatius through various minor misadventures. Reilly, a buffoonish overweight man-child with poor fashion sense, worse social skills, and deplorable hygiene. His bizarre misadventures, where he sweeps everyone he meets into a storm of legal trouble, headache-inducing rants, and hygiene problems, are enthralling. A Confederacy of Dunces is a rambling, aimless, comedic novel centered on Ignatius J. Asked by Mancuso about his lack of employment, he replies, haughtily: “When my brain begins to reel from my literary labours, I make an occasional cheese dip.”Ī Confederacy of Dunces is available via Penguin Audio, 12hr 58min Further listening A Confederacy of Dunces Ignatius Reilly is the most unlikable protagonist Ive ever seen in literature.

But none compare to the pompous, booming Ignatius, always expostulating about a world he believes has lost its values while overlooking his own idleness.

The comic narrator Reginald D Hunter brings new life to a reprobate cast of characters: the cantankerous Claude Robichaux, who believes everyone to be a communist the doltish police officer, Mancuso, who is the butt of all jokes at his precinct and the put-upon Irene, who seeks solace in the wine she keeps hidden in the stove.

A confederacy of dunces book