Synopses & Reviews
Ireland has long been a nation of story-tellers. What began as a lively form of entertainment has grown into an unrivalled literary genre.
Although Ireland may mourn the loss of the seanchai, the old hearthside story-teller, the Irish art of story-telling is by no means lost. This varied anthology traces the development of the Irish short story from the early folk-tales of the oral tradition through Oliver Goldsmith, Maria Edgeworth, James Joyce, and Liam O'Flaherty, and on to the rising stars of the modern generation, such as Bernard Mac Laverty and Desmond Hogan.
Review
Review from previous edition: "The very best of centuries of Irish short fiction...A classic, take-your-breath-away collection cannily assembled by a master of the medium William Trevor"--
Observer Synopsis
Ireland has been called a nation of story-tellers. "Stories of one kind or another have a way of pressing themselves into Irish conversation, both as entertainment and as a form of communication," writes William Trevor. "For centuries they have been offered to strangers, almost as hospitality is: tall stories, simple stories, stories of extraordinary deeds, of mysteries and wonders, of gentleness, love, cruelty, and violence." Himself an accomplished short story writer, Trevor has gathered here a collection of stories that represent not only the best of Irish short story writing, but the best of the genre.
Spanning the entire history of the Irish short story, from folk-tales to modern writing, this is the most broad-ranging anthology available. Included are such masters as James Joyce and Elizabeth Bowen, who established Ireland at the forefront of the modern short story, as well as Frank O'Connor and Sean O'Faolain, the two most important writers since Joyce and Bowen. Trevor has selected stories by Bernard McLaverty and Desmond Hogan to represent the new generation of writers. But, as Elizabeth Bowen observed, the modern short story in Ireland is "a young art," and it is against the nation's deeply rooted oral tradition that it must be considered. Toward this end, The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories includes seven folk tales translated from the Irish by Sean O'Sullivan, and Seamus MacManus's re-telling of an Irish fairy tale.
William Trevor is one of today's most famous and respected Irish writers. (His work is represented here by the short story "Death in Jerusalem.") The 45 stories he has selected for this anthology, for which he has written a generous introduction, cover a 250-year period and works by 35 authors. Together they demonstrate the development of the short story in Ireland, a land where a flair for storytelling has "become a national characteristic."
About the Author
William Trevor was born in Mitchelstown, County Cork in 1928 and spent his childhood in provincial Ireland. He attended a number of Irish schools and later Trinity College, Dublin. He is a member of the Irish Academy of Letters and was awarded an honorary CBE in 1977 in recognition of his services to literature. His most recent publication is 'The Hill Bachelors' (2000), and his other books include 'The Ballroom of Romance' (1972), 'Angels at the Ritz' (1975, Royal Society of Literature Award), 'Children of Dynmouth' (1976, Whitbread Award), 'Other People's Worlds' (1980), and 'The News From Ireland' (1986).
Table of Contents
Introduction The Hour of Death
Fionn in Search of his Youth
Cromwell and the Friar
The Girl and the Sailor
The Four-leafed Shamrock and the Cock
The Cow that ate the Piper
Conal and Donal and Taig
Adventures of a Strolling Player, Oliver Goldsmith
The Limerick Gloves, Maria Edgeworth
The Death of a Devotee, William Carleton
The Brown Man, Gerald Griffin
Green Tea, Sheridan Le Fanu
Albert Nobbs, George Moore
The Sphinx without a Secret, Oscar Wilde
Philippa's Fox Hunt, E.E. Somerville and Martin Ross
The Priest, Daniel Corkery
The Weaver's Grave, Seumas O'Kelly
The Dead, James Joyce
My Little Black Ass, Padraic O Conaire
The Triangle, James Stephens
Bush River, Joyce Carey
The Pedlar's Revenge, Liam O'Flaherty
The Fanatic, Liam O'Flaherty
Her Table Spread, Elizabeth Bowen
The Faithless Wife, Sean O'Faolain
The Sugawn Chair, Sean O'Faolain
Guests of the Nation, Frank O'Connor
The Majesty of the Law, Frank O'Connor
Pastorale, Patrick Boyle
The Hare-Lip, Mairtan O Cadhain
The Poteen Maker, Michael McLaverty
The Ring, Bryan MacMahon
Sarah, Mary Lavin
Desert Island, Terence De Vere White
The Pilgrims, Benedict Kiely
Weep for our Pride, James Plunkett
Loser, Val Mulkerns
The Bird I Fancied, Aidan Higgins
Death in Jerusalem, William Trevor
The Diviner, Brian Friel
An Occasion of Sin, John Montague
Irish Revel, Edna O'Brien
First Conjugation, Julia O'Faolain
The Beginning of an Idea, John McGahern
Life Drawing, Bernard Mac Laverty
The Airedale, Desmond Hogan
Acknowledgements
Index of Authors