The Sunday Question

Who is your favorite dad in literature (literature to be widely interpreted)?

Since next Sunday is Father's Day, I thought I'd ask the above question, to get us all in the mood. And also to jog everyone's memory. Father's Day somehow doesn't get anywhere near the hype that Mother's Day does, and is apt to be forgotten until the day before, or even the day itself, prompting everyone to rush around to the malls for the ubiquitous cologne or tie (does anyone, other than politicians, even wear ties anymore?).

In any case, some of our favorite dads in literature are:

Nieves: The dad in the Berenstain Bears books.

I got quite a few Homer Simpson responses. See image above.

My own personal faves are:

1) Atticus Finch, the mild-mannered, principled, gun-toting lawyer dad

in To Kill A Mockingbird, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

2) The usually beseiged, foul-mouthed but generally kind-hearted da in Roddy Doyle's Barrytown Trilogy, which includes The Committments, The Snapper, and The Van, all of which were made into pretty brilliant films, directed by Stephen Frears, with the wonderful Colm Meaney playing Jimmy Rabbitte Sr., the patriarch of the Rabbitte clan on the northside of Dublin.

I had another totally smashing pick, but have for the moment forgotten it, so let us know yours.

And if you're casting about for gift ideas for dad, forget the useless tie and stop by the Odyssey for a whole host of bookish ideas.