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: The Hard Life
titlecomplete: The Hard Life
genres: 20th Century, Ireland, Literary Fiction, Novels, Literature, Classics, British Literature, Irish Literature, Fiction, Humor
ratings_count: 1012
places: Dublin, Ireland
publisher: Dalkey Archive Press