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| green spines for the Emerald Isle |
Growing up with an Irish grandmother, there were always plenty of Irish tales
going around. When I was young I loved hearing the stories but never really
thought to look into any specific literature to read on my own. Then in college
when I saw there were Irish Literature courses offered I jumped at the chance
to take them. It was not long before I was completely in love with so many
Irish writers and their stories. So with a name like Colleen, growing up with a
heavily Irish grandmother, and today being St. Patrick’s Day, it seemed fitting
to do a chatty post on Irish Literature.
A quick background on Irish literature (I promise to keep this short,
not like a college lecture) before we get into the books. Irish authors were
highly influenced by the history and tragedy of their country, such as famine,
colonization, rebellions, etc. There is often a sense of tragedy in Irish
stories but that tends to be balanced out many times with all the absurdity and
satire that is used quite often. A lot
of times the writing tends to be rather poetic, which gives it a certain beauty
with the way that the words and ideas flow. I have always felt that Irish
literature stands out from other genres for its distinctive style and essence.
I will start with a rather notable author but not with an obvious story
choice, James Joyce and his novella The
Dead. James Joyce (February 2,
1882 – January 13, 1941) is arguably one of the best known Irish writers, and
someone who so beautifully encapsulated Ireland and its culture in his writing.
While we all know books such as Ulysses,
and Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man,
the story I would like to talk about is The
Dead. This is a novella that takes place during a New Year’s Eve party in
Dublin. Many might read this and think nothing happens, however I think the
story is full of so much. There are many characters in the story but it closely
follows a man, Gabriel Conroy, and his wife Gretta. The Dead deals with the
changes and disillusionment that happen throughout the course of a
relationship, along with the revelations that can come at our most vulnerable
times. It is unfortunate that this
novella so often goes unrecognized by academics because I think it is stunning
and I feel mesmerized each time I read it. So if you choose to go for Joyce,
one of the most well know Irish authors, do yourself a favour and go for this
under-recognized novella first. You will not be disappointed.
Of course there is also Samuel
Beckett (April 13, 1906 – December 22, 1989), who is known for many of his
stories such as Endgame, and the
trilogy Molloy, Malone Dies, The
Unnamable (go read that one, seriously!), but I want to focus on his play Waiting for Godot, which was his first
professionally produced play. It is a simple story of two men sitting by the
side of the road waiting for the arrival of someone named Godot, and is mostly
made up of their banter, wordplay, and sometimes nonsensical thoughts and
ramblings. It has often been debated what the two men are waiting for and who
“Godot” is so it is very much left open to the interpretation of each reader.
In the end it is a story of the search for meaning in life and how much time is
spent pondering something which we will never be able to understand or explain.
Getting into a more modern Irish author, there is Joseph O’Connor (September 20, 1963). He has written numerous books
but the one I want to mention is Star of
the Sea, a historical fiction mystery book is set in the mid-1800’s. It is
about a family from Ireland who are aboard a ship (The Star of the Sea) on
their way to New York City in the hope of a better life. They find that
escaping their difficult life in Ireland is not as easy as they imagined and
they are plunged into a mystery during their journey as a killer stalks the
ship, taking the lives of many passengers as they try to make their way to a
better lie in a new land. This book is both tragic and hopeful and I highly
recommend checking it out.
I want to mention a few more great reads that I think you would enjoy.
These might not be the books you think of when Irish Literature comes to mind,
but they are by Irish authors and I feel they need to be mentioned. Let the
Great World Spin by Colum McCann
(February 28, 1965), this is a book that broke my heart but that I loved so
very much. It is a tale that spans decades in New York City from when Phillipe
Petit traversed the space between the Twin Towers on a tightrope to the tragedy
of September 11th. It is beautiful and tragic in a way that only Irish
literature can be. There is also Oscar
Wilde (October 16, 1854 – November 30, 1900), of course. His book, The Importance of Being Earnest, I
highly recommend. It is a humorous read that deals with mistaken identities,
confusion, liaisons, and is full of the quick wit that Wilde had a knack for.
This is a highly amusing short story that I think most people would enjoy.
I have left the bulk of this post on Irish literature into Coll’s
extremely capable hands, however, I did insist upon adding my own paragraph on
a largely undervalued Irish author. That is to say, Jennifer Johnston (12 January, 1930). She has written 21 novels
(plus plays) to date and they all deal with themes of memory, the past, and
often The Troubles (the Northern Irish conflict). So the novels can be
political in several ways, but they also follow the fall of the Anglo-Irish
aristocracy during the 20th century and their interaction with the
local population (the Anglo-Irish were considered not Irish by the locals, and
not English by the English). The novels often have a Big House – the Irish
country house - setting; naturally, since they deal with the aristocracy
juxtaposed with the native Irish. Some
of her novels are discussed in schools and she has also been shortlisted for
the Man Booker prize, but I do think she is largely underrated (although Roddy
Doyle, for instance, has named her one of the finest Irish novelists). My
personal recommendations would be Shadows
on Our Skin (my favourite novel alongside Jane Eyre; heavily focusing on The Troubles), The Old Jest (made into a film The
Dawning and starring Anthony Hopkins), Fool’s
Sanctuary (more in the Big House genre), and How Many Miles to Babylon? (same, but also discussing the impact of
WW I). Her work is always rather concise
and the volumes are slim, but the prose itself is so clean, brisk, and
evocative, that one can’t help but admire her. I hope you will give her a read!
All the authors we have mentioned in this post are just a few who make
up the vast group of talented writers from Ireland. There is also W.B. Yeats,
George Bernard Shaw, Elizabeth Bowen, Molly Keane, Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker,
Flann O'Brien, Colm Tóibín, Anne Enright, and many, many others. There is a
great list of Irish authors on Goodreads that you could have a look at too: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/irish-authors?page=1
If you want to check out any of the authors we have mentioned, here are
some links you can follow:
Samuel Beckett: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/1433597.Samuel_Beckett
Joseph O’Connor: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/34713.Joseph_O_Connor
Colum McCann: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/14080.Colum_McCann
Oscar Wilde: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/3565.Oscar_Wilde
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