The Oxford Book of Ireland - Hardcover

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9780192142610: The Oxford Book of Ireland

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0192142615 ISBN 13: 9780192142610

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1998

"Ireland! Ireland! Ireland! The word falls on the ear with the gentle persistence of rain on the shores of Kerry," said Honor Tracy. "The Irishman," said Robert Lynd, "is one of the world's greatest puzzles." Just what is the true essence of Ireland? And who, exactly, are the "We Irish," as described by W.B. Yeats?
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. Anyone bewitched by the land of Eire will delight in this spirited anthology.

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About the Author:

A freelance writer and reviewer, Patricia Craig has edited The Oxford Books of English Detective Stories, Schooldays, Modern Women's Stories, and Travel Stories.

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.

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