Sunday, March 17, 2019

10 Irish Writers You Should Be Reading



Nora Webster, By Colm Toibin. He is one of my favorite authors. Nora Webster is set in Wexford, Ireland. Nors is widowed at 40, with 4 children and destitute. There is a depth and breath of understanding for Nora, that comes through in every page. All of Colm Toibin's books are layered with warmth, and unfold with a quiet, passive resonance, that reverberate over time.




The Spinning Heart By Donal Ryan. The book describes the 'destruction' of a small Irish town, after Ireland's recent financial collapse. It is a collection of connected stories, with a different narrator. Its a tangled web of dark tales, trials and tribulations, set in a working class neighborhood.



When All is Said, By Anne Griffin. This is a deeply moving tale about Maurice Hannigan, an 84 year old farmer, who decides to review his life at a bar, by raising his glass- 5 toasts to the most important people in his life. There are buried secrets, regrets and triumphs.  It is a deep meditation on guilt and loss as he deconstructs the lives of his family, including his wife, who recently died.

The Irish Times describes the novel as: "The most impressive aspects of this first novel are its rich, flowing prose, convincing voice, and its imaginative and clever structure."





The Sea, By John Banville. It's the story of Max Morden, who recently lost his wife. He returns to the seaside town, he visited as a child. There, he rekindles memories, reminisces and mourns failures and regrets, made over time. All of John Banville's books, are thought provoking, serried with prose, and rich with meaning.




Bruno's Dream, By Iris Murdoch. Bruno is dying, and his final wish is to see his estranged son, Miles once more. This book is rich with meaning-love, obsession, bitterness, retaliation. All of Ms. Murdoch's books are deeply philosophical and are multi layered, and thought provoking.



Antarctica By Claire Keegan. Short Stories. These are dark tales. Initially the stories seem banal in nature, but quickly turn sharp and intense. The stories are varied and could be described as fables or vignettes.



The Love Object By Edna O'Brien. Ms. O'Brien is a master of writing in poetic language. She uses phrases like, "stunned by lack of sleep and it was all terrible, tiring and meaningless." Ms O'Brien writes in an exaggerated tone, that is full of vivid descriptions, as if she were painting words on the page.





The Gathering By Anne Enright. Anne Enright is a beautiful writer. The Gathering is the story of a large Irish family that reunites over the death, of their brother Liam, who died at sea. There are deeply held secrets within the family. Ms. Enright masterfully leaves clues, and imparts wisdom with each step she takes, in telling the story of three generations of the Hegarty clan.





The Heart's Invisible Furies, By John Boyne. From the author of, 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas'. This book is set in Post War Ireland, and is about the life of the adopted boy, Cyril Avery. We follow Cyril from Dublin to Amsterdam to NY and back. Cyril, born out of wedlock, from a young teenage outcast in a small town, is adopted by an eccentric couple who take of his physical needs only. They do not provide a loving, supportive environment. Its a tale of the power of the human spirit.



Last Stories, By William Trevor. William Trevor is known as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. His stories have been called 'small masterpieces' that grace the page.  Trevor's writes in depth stories about loneliness, and uses words like 'lone, alone and loneliness' and the concept within relationships. In the words of William Trevor, "People run away to be alone."


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