Synopses & Reviews
On Easter Monday, 1916, Irish rebels poured into Dublin's streets to proclaim an independent republic. Ireland's long struggle for self-government had suddenly become a radical and bloody fight for independence.
Review
" is an ingenious and original account of the generation of men and women who created the conditions for revolution in Ireland in the early years of the twentieth century. By looking at social and sexual life, at private diaries, at marriages and friendships, by examining literary as well as military activity, using his brilliant historian's intelligence, Foster has reinterpreted the 1916 Rebellion in Dublin. The result is the study of a generation who sought not only political but personal freedom, and in doing so, set about reimagining an entire nation." Mike Fischer Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Review
"A deep, intricate portrait of the generation leading up to the Easter Uprising... fascinating." The New Yorker
Review
"Brilliantly and vigorously reveals the personal histories that shaped the Irish revolutionary moment of the early 20th century." Wall Street Journal
Review
"Telling details repeatedly inform Foster's , giving texture and depth to the many people filling his large canvas--while scraping away the layers of post-revolution varnish that still makes it so hard to separate mythology from history whenever discussing Ireland." Jay Freeman Booklist
Review
"A fascinating, moving, but often sad account... Foster views [the nationalists] with sympathy, affection, but also with a critical eye... an outstanding tableau." Publishers Weekly
Review
"[Foster] is well equipped to investigate the cultural context of the revolution. Drawing on a marvelous range of sources, he has succeeded in delineating this generation in half a dozen elegant thematic chapters." Keith Jeffery
Review
"[An] incisive history." Hermione Lee Wall Street Journal
Synopsis
A masterful history of Ireland's Easter Rising told through the lives of ordinary people who forged a revolutionary generation.
About the Author
Born in Waterford, Ireland, R. F. Foster is the Carroll Builders Professor of Irish History at Hertford College, Oxford. He is the author of Modern Ireland, the standard history, and an acclaimed biography of Yeats.