Product Description

The Oxford Book of Ireland is a unique anthology of writing that attempts to finally strike at the heart of this compelling country and its people, through the words of the Irish themselves. Included here are the poems, essays, and excerpts from the fiction of writers such as Samuel Beckett, Elizabeth Bowen, Seamus Heaney, James Joyce, Patrick Kavanagh, Louis MacNeice, Frank O'Connor, Honor Tracy, William Trevor, and W.B. Yeats. Arranged according to theme, the emphasis of this volume falls on geography, social history, custom, and personal observation. These great figures lament over the loss of the Gaelic language, ponder the splendor of endless Irish skies, contemplate the frenetic urbanity of Dublin, and revel in the invigorating wit and charm of their people. From the beauty of Celtic twilights to the drive towards insurgency, from the alcoholic animation to the passion of the Catholic region no country has fostered as much analysis and self-scrutiny as Ireland. Riveting, illuminating, and even exasperating, The Oxford Book of Ireland is a stimulating collection of the greatest Irish writers reflecting upon their mysterious and beloved homeland.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1895873 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 544 pages

From Library Journal
Craig (ed., Oxford Book of Modern Women's Stories, 1994) has produced a tome that skims the surface of Irish literary history. It has obligatory chapters like "The Thick and Bloody Fight" and "Bitter Memories," alongside the more interesting "Brown Rain Falling Heavily." Ireland is a well-documented land, and Craig's challenge was to find fresh voices from various times and places. To a degree she has succeeded. Perhaps more passages on bitter memories and violence seep out than those on gentle rains and cottages with peat fires, but this is leavened by the range of entries, over 200 from the earliest Celtic writings to the late 1990s by writers and poets ranging from Bowes to Yeats to Heaney. There is welcome, though brief, mention of peaceful Ulster and tenant farmers with decent landlords. Few passages are even a page in length, as Craig chose breadth over depth. This makes the book hard to use as a teaching tool but good for pleasure reading; if one entry is too misty or too bitter, flip the page or go to the next section. Recommended for public libraries.?Robert C. Moore, DuPont Merck Pharmaceuticals, Framingham, MA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Review from previous edition "A wonderful tour of writing in and on Ireland, full of light and shade, tensions and contrasts: imaginative, arresting, eloquent, and always authentic."--Roy Foster

About the Author

Patricia Craig was born and educated in Belfast before moving to London, where she now lives. She is a freelance critic and reviewer, and has edited several anthologies, including Oxford Books of Detective Stories, English Detective Stories, Modern Women's Stories, and Travel Stories.