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The Conversation
Suzy Freeman-Greene, Books + Ideas Editor, The Conversation

Who are the worst fathers in literature? Our experts make the tough call

Penguin Books, Goodreads, Harper Collins, Text Publishing

Literature has long portrayed messed-up families. As poet Philip Larkin famously wrote, “They fuck you up, your mum and dad. / They may not mean to, but they do.”

In honour of this rich vein of dysfunction, we asked experts to nominate the worst literary fathers and mothers. Today we delve into dads. Tomorrow, we turn to mothers.

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