Irish literature

saturnalia1

Shame, indeed, being an Irish man, that I have read very little of my own nations literature, especially considering our reputation as the Land of Saints and Scholars. Some of the most reputable playwrites, poets and novellists have hailed from these fair isles.

Anyway, I decided to make a start on working through some of the better known Irish writers.

I picked up Brendan Behans, "Confessions of an Irish Rebel" and Becketts, "More Pricks than Kicks".

I picked tem at random, not knowing anything about them. The Behan book, I chose because I know he was a big drinker and led a fascinating life, living in the Chelsea and whatnot. Anyway, one third of the way through, Im fascinated. Its an autobiography of a man who led a compelling life of captivity, patriotism and the typical Irish philosophy of looking adversity in the eye and giving it the big middle finger.

He drank, he sang, he fought for his country and he tells about it in a truly Dublin manner of humour and tragedy. Great so far.


What irish literature have you read and what do you recommend?

Imhof Tank

saturnalia1 wrote: »

The Behan book

Its an autobiography of a man who led a compelling life of captivity, patriotism and the typical Irish philosophy of looking adversity in the eye and giving it the big middle finger.

For a different (realistic?) perspective, you could check out Ulick O'Connor's biography of Behan

gogglebok

saturnalia1 wrote: »

What irish literature have you read and what do you recommend?

I like both your choices. If you're building a list, I would recommend At Swim-Two-Birds or The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien. If you want a half-forgotten book from that era which deserves to be rediscovered, see if you can dig up James Stephens' Crock of Gold. I remember being surprised by how funny and fresh it was.

gogglebok

Imhof Tank wrote: »

For a different (realistic?) perspective, you could check out Ulick O'Connor's biography of Behan

Seconded. Ulick O'Connor's biography of Oliver St. John Gogarty is also excellent, as are a couple of Gogartys books. I think As I Was Going Down Sackville Street is the best of them. It's good anecdotal stuff, steeped in the literary atmosphere of the time.

saturnalia1

For a different (realistic?) perspective, you could check out Ulick O'Connor's biography of Behan

I never for a minute, entirely believed Behans own account. He does know how to spin a yarn though, and in my opinion, thats more important than factual account.

Coileach dearg

Has anyone read "With Brendan Behan a Personal Memoir" by Peter Arthurs. I picked this book up at random in a second hand book shop in Sydney and it is a shocking read. I did not know much about Behan before reading this book but he surely was an amazing character.

I would be interested in reading Ulick O'Connor's biography of Behan and contrasting the two.

buck65

Dubliners by Joyce would be a personal favourite.
John B Keane had some good books too, simple but poignant.
Mc Gahern's short stories are great.
Claire Keegan , Colm Toibin ( The Master ) all very good.

skybluejay

J.P. Donleavy's The Ginger Man.

beautiation

I have to be honest here, I'm yet to really find an Irish writer who entertains me. I think being Irish weighs down on the author's work more than most other nationalities do. A lot of the famous writing we produce suffers from trading too heavily on what this country is famous internationally for. We have so many works which end up either making too much of the Irish pastoral setting, which produces slow-moving, bogged-down twee works, or focusing on glorifying our salt of the earth hard-drinking dirty-witted types, which when done well (like Roddy Doyle) can be entertaining but can also feel forced and repetitive and not half as authentic as the authors imagine them to be.
Actually, John Banville is quite good, he creates very soulful characters and melancholic atmospheres without resorting to cheap tricks or cliches. But bring the dictionary along cos he uses wilfully obscure language at times.

Lizzykins

Tarry Flynn or anything else by Patrick Kavanagh
The picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde or anything else by him.

Red Hand

The Best of Myles.

Please please please get this book. It is brilliant, a collection of nonsensical yet very funny writings by Myles na gCapaleen when he had a column in the Irish Times. It will have you laughing in no time!

gogglebok

beautiation wrote: »

Actually, John Banville is quite good, he creates very soulful characters and melancholic atmospheres without resorting to cheap tricks or cliches. But bring the dictionary along cos he uses wilfully obscure language at times.

So true. Banville will never say "woolly blue hat" when he can just as easily say "flocculent cerulean bashlyk" .

tHE vAGGABOND

Our best two living fiction writers [Totally IMHO] would be Joe O'Connor and Roddy Doyle. Pick up any of their books and I guarantee you will love it! Both have books ranging from silly and funny to books which are deadly serious!

Colm Tobin is good, read a couple of his books.

I think Confessions of an Irish Rebel is the second part of Behans biography, Borstal Boy would be the first part.

I have tried [and failed] to read Joyce a number of times, eventually got thru Dubliners, but just dont enjoy it tbh. My folks would love John B Keane, I love his plays more than his books.

Not really what your on about, but pick up anything by Tim Pat Coogan for a brilliant look at our nations history.

il gatto

Three suggestions:
1. Flann O'Brien - The Poor Mouth. Funniest book I've ever read.
2. Joeseph O'Connor - Star of the Sea. Great epic page turner.
3. John mcGahern - That They May Face the Rising Sun. Slow paced and atmospheric. Read it twice in two years. Rarely re-read books.

Killme00

Crime Fiction: John Connolly His writing is beautifully descriptive and the comedic momenst in each of his books are excellent. For horror short stories, try "Nocturnes"

I also really liked the early Roddy Doyle books, not so much the recent stuff.

Joe Cool

Portrait of the Artist by Joyce
Really liked 'A Painful Case' in Dubliners, I know everyone says 'The Dead' is the money but this one stood out for me.

Anything by Patrick McCabe, 'The Dead School' and 'Emerald Germs of Ireland' in particular.

'Guest of the Nation' by Frank O'Connor, his short stories are very good.

'Shadows on Our Skin' or 'How Many Miles to Babylon' by Jennifer Johnston

'At Swim Two Birds' by Flann O'Brien

'The Importnat of Being Earnest' Oscar Wilde

'In a Glass Darkly' by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Ok, thats it for now.

randomguy

randomly -

William Trevor's short stories
Anything by Brian Moore
Anything by Roddy Doyle
Tristram Shandy
Strumpet City - James Plunkett

The Star of the Sea (Joseph O'Conner, who somehow went from being a pretty crap comedy writer to being a very good literary fiction writer - if he had been a swimmer or cyclist I would have said steroids).

John McGahern - really liked Amongst Women as a teenager, really like "that they may face the rising sun" now. If you like that or William Trevor, read Claire Keegan's short stories.

John Banville is great - I'd start with The Book of Evidence and The Untouchable, then try the Newton Letter and maybe his new crime stuff or his early physics stuff. I find his recent literary fiction too heavy.

Eureka Street by Robert MacLiam Wilson is one of the best Irish novels ever about the troubles. FAT LAD by I think it is Colin Bateman would be along the same lines.

I am a big fan of At-Swim-Two-Birds, and kind of along the same lines is Anthony Cronin's The Life of Riley (pulling the proverbial out of the 1950's and 60's literary scene in Dublin). And the Best of Myles is great too.

Patrick MacCabe is always a rollicking read.

Dermot Healy is someone you don't hear all that much about these days, but I remember reading The Goat's Song and wondering why he doesn't get the attention he deserves.

Brian Friel's plays are worth reading - Faith Healer or Translations especially, and Beckett's plays too (i am not a fan of his novels).

Pater Cunningham's Monument trilogy (starting with Tapes of the River) is a bit prone to schmaltz, but really entertaining and well written.

Anyway, just some ideas for trying some Irish stuff.

il gatto

Patrick McCabe's "Butcher Boy" is a fantastic book. Strangely written, but once you get your head around that, it's brilliant.
If I was picking a Joyce for the uninitiated, I'd say "Dubliners". "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", whilst brilliant in it's own way, goes a little heavy with the religious dogma in places, and maybe isn't as enjoyable as "Dubliners". I prefer it anyway.
Anything by Frank O'Connor is good. And Sheridan Le Fanu wrote some of the best ghost stories ever. Well worth checking out, even if some people cock their snoot at ghost stories.

daithiocondun

Here's a few of my favourites. Some are old, some are modern. Take a look at them. All are quality.

1) Samuel Beckett (Endgame, Waiting for Godot etc.) Both are plays

2) Pete McCarthy (McCarthy's Bar, The Road to McCarthy) two hilarious novels

3) Frank McCourt (Angela's Ashes, 'Tis, Teacher Man) obvious choice but certainaly worth a look - love him or hate him.

4) J.M. Synge's "The Playboy of The Western World" - wonderful cornerstone of Irish Drama

5) Patrick McCabe's "The Butcher Boy" - excellent film and novel

6) Patrick Galvin's "The Raggy Trilogy" - features the short story "Song for a Raggy Boy" which was made into a brilliant film.

7) Roddy Doyle - very popular author.

8) Eugene McCabe's "Death and Nightingales" is also dark and terribly good.

9) Fish around for some GOOD Irish autobiographies... e.g. Ronan Tynan, Mo Molem, Charlie Bird etc.

10) James Joyce's "Dubliners" is a nice Joycean read... stay away from "Ulysses" and "The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man"--- leave them until you are ready and sure you like Irish Literature as they will turn you off otherwise.

11) Major point, unless you know and like Irish literature well, avoid 18th and 19th century Irish literature such as works by Maria Edgeworth, George Moore and Elizabeth Bowen like the plague... terribly dim and rambling.

---Start with modern popular literature and work from there so that you don't turn off Irish literature because you started in the wrong place---