John Kennedy Toole
#37113 Most Popular
About
The author of the picaresque novel, A Confederacy of Dunces (published in 1980), he committed suicide in 1969 and was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. His other novel, The Neon Bible, was also published after his death.
Before Fame
He graduated from Tulane University and went on to study English at Columbia University. He was later drafted into the U.S. Army and was stationed for a time in Puerto Rico.
Trivia
His novel, The Neon Bible, was adapted into a film.
Family Life
He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to John Dewey Toole, Jr. (a car salesman) and Thelma Ducoing Toole (a teacher). His mother published his two novels-- Confederacy of Dunces and The Neon Bible-- several years after his suicide.
Associated With
He was a contemporary of fellow American author, Jerome Charyn.
