BOOKS OF THE TIMES | 'THE ART OF BURNING BRIDGES'
Bending Over Backward for a Well-Known Lout by MICHIKO KAKUTANI</b><br /> More than three decades after his death, John O'Hara is chiefly remembered for two novels, "Appointment in Samarra" and "Butterfield 8," for several collections of short stories (including those that became the basis for the musical "Pal Joey") and for his snobbish and belligerent demeanor: his truculent drinking, his propensity for beating up …