It's a fabulous novel and the story of its author is also amazing. The Fool's Conspiracy recounts the life of a certain Ignatius Reilly in New Orleans. A rather odious character. A specialist in medieval literature who still lives with his mother at more than 30 years.
Ignatius Reilly is a little neglected, he is wearing an old Canadian shirt and a cap. He hates just about everyone, does not support his time and sees plots everywhere. He has never worked in his life until the day when his mother will force him to do so, so we follow the adventures of this perfectly unfriendly, misanthropic and disgusting person.
The story of the author, too, is amazing ...
Incredibly sad in a way. He committed suicide in 1969 without ever finding a publisher for his book. He thought he was a failed writer. Above all, he could not stand the idea of living if he could not practice his art. So, it's his mother who decides to take over the torch. It requires publishers to read the book. And she's waiting in the corridors. Weary of war one day, an editor opens the manuscript, reads the first lines and he immediately realizes that he is dealing with a genius.
The conspiracy of imbeciles was finally published in 1980 in the United States. Result: Millions of copies sold and the Pulitzer Prize in 1981!
John Kennedy Toole has never been successful in his lifetime. The curse of the book continues for its adaptation to the cinema. Many projects have fallen by the wayside. Once, it's the main actor who died, another, it's Hurricane Katerina that devastated New Orleans where the film was to be filmed ...