The two surreal lives of The Third Policeman
Sunday April 08 2007
IN these difficult pre-election days your poor Fifth Column correspondent is rarely surprised by joy. But last week, in the most unlikely setting of the ascetic pages of The Irish Times, my spirits were lifted by one of the finest pieces of journalism for some time - and no, I'm not talking about the warblings of Bertie's favourite journalist Vincent 'Bertie's a Nice Fella' Browne.
It was Karl Whitney's 'Irishman's Diary', on the great Irish comic novelist Flann O'Brien and it was infused with a rare level of imaginative sympathy for his subject. However, as I enthused about how Whitney had achieved such a unique degree of connection with the playful imagination that created Cruiskeen Lawn and yet also endured the mundanities of life in the Civil Service, an explanation for this achievement came from the most unlikely of sources.
The bustling Terry Leyden may be chiefly famous for his new status as Mary O'Rourke's 'Boswell' and for almost setting fire to the Dail with a scented candle. Last week, however, the discerning Senator proudly informed us that Mr Whitney was also busily employed writing Senator Terry's Oireachtas Report.
Apparently, rather like Flann O'Brien's works, this literary gem is devised for a very limited audience. In Terry's case it is a small list of county councillors who Terry devoutly hopes will re-elect him to the Seanad. Now, in fairness, Roscommon's own Guy Fawkes is a bubbly little chap. However when it comes to poor Mr Whitney it must take a huge leap of the imagination to move from happy thoughts of Flann O'Brien's comic dialogues with "the plain people of Ireland" to summarising Terry's Leyden's thoughts on world trade, aggiculture (sic) and so forth.
I suspect that even as he types out Terry's message about the 'Forthcoming Seanad election' where the latter will be seeking 'your NO 1 vote Or highest preference vote', Mr Whitney must feel he has entered a place not unlike the surreal nihilistic world of The Third Policeman.
- John Drennan
