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Stuff You Should Know
The hosts discussed it in passing, mentioning its popularity and how it was the author's only published novel before his death. The author's life was discussed briefly.
John Kennedy Tool. Sure. Confederacy of Dunces.
— Episode: SYSK Selects: What Makes a One-hit Wonde...
Episode: SYSK Selects: What Makes a One-hit Wonder?
The hosts discussed it in passing, mentioning its popularity and how it was the author's only published novel before his death. The author's life was discussed briefly.
John Kennedy Tool. Sure. Confederacy of Dunces.
How often do you think about just in your normal life? How, I don't know. Almost never maybe?
Yeah, a couple of times a year maybe when it's like a movie will be in the works that never happens.
I was thinking about that movie or that book yesterday.
But I don't think it's like one of the greatest books of all time or anything.
Yeah, this crazy character in Louisiana. It's always grabbed my attention because it's just like a perfect title and then the guy's name is perfect as well. John Kennedy Tool.
Yeah, his author.
Well, he'd killed himself. He was clearly now suffered some sort of mental illness and could not get published and that drove him to eventually commit suicide in 1969 and his mother made it her life's work to get it published and did so in 1980.
And then his second book was published The Neon Bible I think in 1986 and that was made into a movie.
Well, The Neon Bible wasn't a huge hit but.
But yeah, I would say he's a one hit wonder.
Episode: SYSK Selects: What Makes a One-hit Wonder?
It was discussed as a potential one-hit wonder, due to Toole's suicide and only one novel published before his death, even though a second book was posthumously published.
And John Kennedy Tool. Sure. Confederacy of Dunces.
It's like, I think a lot of people have these expectations because it's known as this like genius work after this guy committed suicide and it is really good. But I don't think it's like one of the greatest books of all time or anything.
Well, he'd killed himself. He was clearly now suffered some sort of mental illness and could not get published and that drove him to eventually commit suicide in 1969 and his mother made it her life's work to get it published and did so in 1980.
Well, The Neon Bible wasn't a huge hit but. Oh, gotcha. But yeah, I would say he's a one hit wonder.
Episode: SYSK Selects: What Makes a One-hit Wonder?
It was discussed in the context of being a 'one-hit wonder' novel for Toole, who committed suicide before achieving recognition, but the book gained popularity later and is considered a good, but not necessarily exceptional, read.
And John Kennedy Tool. Sure. Confederacy of Dunces.
But I don't think it's like one of the greatest books of all time or anything.
It's always grabbed my attention because it's just like a perfect title and then the guy's name is perfect as well. John Kennedy Tool.
He was clearly now suffered some sort of mental illness and could not get published and that drove him to eventually commit suicide in 1969 and his mother made it her life's work to get it published and did so in 1980.
Episode: Selects: Can movies be cursed?
The hosts described it as a classic novel whose author died before its publication, noting it later won a Pulitzer Prize and became a celebrated work.
the first one is A Confederacy of Dunces the film adaptation of John Kennedy Tool's book I guess novel great book yeah ... it's a classic classic book and very sadly Tool killed himself in 1969 and the book was not out yet and part of the reason he killed himself is because he he could not achieve success as a writer his mother gets it published it wins a Pulitzer Prize in 1981 and posthumously he became a famous author ... so people when it first was published in the early 80s
Episode: Some Interesting Curses
They mentioned the wellknown novel as a great book that, despite many attempts, has never been turned into a movie.
the very famously, the great, great book, A Confederacy of Dunces, has never been made.