Toole’s corpulent protagonist has been compared to Falstaff and Quixote, but that’s not to say that Ignatius J. Reilly lacks his own comedic identity. After an unfortunate accident, the unemployed and unwise historian is launched into the working world – but not without a fight from his baser instincts. Both farcical and poignant, this Pulitzer Prize-winning book is unforgettable.