num_pages: 179
description: Subtitled “An Exegesis of Squalor,” The Hard Life is a sober farce from a master of Irish comic fiction. Set in Dublin at the turn of the century, the novel does involve squalor―illness, alcoholism, unemployment, bodily functions, crime, illicit sex―but also investigates such diverse topics as Church history, tightrope walking, and the pressing need for public toilets for ladies. The Hard Life is straight-faced entertainment that conceals in laughter its own devious and wicked satire by one of the best known Irish writers of the 20th century.
language: English
title: Hard Life: An Exegesis of Squalor
titlecomplete: Hard Life: An Exegesis of Squalor
genres: Fiction, Ireland, British Literature, Humor, Literature, Classics, Novels, Irish Literature, 20th Century, Literary Fiction
ratings_count: 1012
places: Ireland, Dublin
publisher: Dalkey Archive Press