John Kennedy Toole was an American author born on December 17, 1937, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is best known for his novel A Confederacy of Dunces, which was published posthumously in 1980. The book, set in New Orleans, features the eccentric character Ignatius J. Reilly and explores themes of absurdity and social criticism. Toole struggled with mental health issues and took his own life in 1969 at the age of 31. His mother, Thelma Toole, played a crucial role in getting his manuscript published, leading to the novel winning the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981.