Book excerpt: An unprecedented gathering of the correspondence of one of the great writers of the twentieth century, The collected letters of Flann O'Brien presents an intimate look into the life and thought of Brian O'Nolan, a prolific author of novels, stories, sketches, and journalism who famously wrote and presented works to the reading public under a variety of pseudonyms. Spanning the years 1934 to 1966, these compulsively readable letters show us O'Nolan, or O'Brien, or Myles na gCopaleen, or whatever his name may be, at his most cantankerous and unrestrained. -- Publisher description.