Butterfly in the Typewriter

Butterfly in the Typewriter The Tragic Life of John Kennedy Toole and the Remarkable Story of A Confederacy of Dunces by Cory MacLauchlin ($26.00, Da Capo) Yesterday I was catching up on the latest publishing news when I saw an article about the possibility of a movie finally being produced from the book, A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole. I have to admit, I only read COD this past winter, and became an instant fan. The report referenced from Shelf Awareness, mentions James Bobin (Flight of the Conchords, The Muppets), producer Scott Rudin and Paramount Pictures, and that Zach Galifianakis will have the role of Ignatius Reilly. What caught my eye, however was this comment:

"Well--considering the history I think they are aware of the pitfalls in this project and how passionate COD fans are. If you are interested in the true story behind the novel, the real-life characters behind Ignatius Reilly, Myrna Minkoff, Irene Reilly, etc--my book just came out....Butterfly in the Typewriter: The Tragic Life of John Kennedy Toole and the Remarkable Story of A Confederacy of Dunces (Da Capo Press)."

Of course, it didn't take long for the self-appointed spam police to show up, but I had the author's name and soon had the title included in my wholesaler order for the weekend. I haven't had time to explore it yet, but the parts I've sampled are a delight.

I don't know much about the back story here, but I think it'll be a real treat to get to know Thelma Toole. MacLauchlin's research and devotion to his subject shine through.
He was the biographer of this documentary John Kennedy Toole: the omega point

The moral of this story is sometimes reading comments has it's rewards, and the spam is tasty!

Butterfly in the Typewriter and A Confederacy of Dunces are available at Jackson Street Books and fine independent Bookstores everywhere.