The phenomenal success of John Kennedy Toold's comic masterpiece, A Confederacy of Dunces,  is now legendary, a story that has long beckoned a deeper exploration into the life, imagination, and demise of the writer responsible for one of American literature's most memorable characters- Ignatius J. Reilly. In  Ignatius Rising, René Pol Nevils and Deborah George Hardy present the first biography of Toole, drawing upon scores of interviews with contemporaries of the writer and acquaintances of his influencing mother, Thelma, as well as unpublished letters, documents, and photographs. Frank yet sympathetic, Ignatius Rising deftly describes a life that is dark, tragic, bizarre, and amazing- but luminous with the gift of laughter, a life not unlike those of Toole's beloved characters, now loved the world over.

René Pol Nevils lives in Baton Rouge with her husband, Rick

Deborah George Hardy is a member of the Paris Poetry Workshops and founding director of Littlestarfriends.com. She lives in California.

ISBN: 978-0-8071-3059-9

272 pages

6 x 9 paperback

B & W photographs

LSU Press, 2005

 

A Confederacy of Dunces Cookbook: Recipes from Ignatius J. Reilly's New Orleans