Contemporary Irish Literature: Transforming Tradition [Hardcover]

Christina Hunt Mahony (Author), Mahony (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1998 | ISBN-10: 0312158718 | ISBN-13: 978-0312158712 | Edition: 1st

Contemporary Irish Literature is a thorough initiation into the works of a broad selection of living Irish writers. The collection addresses the writings of a range of individuals, from such well-established artists as Seamus Heaney and Brian Friel, to those whose reputations demand to be extended beyond their Irish audience. With a comprehensive introduction providing a continuum from the Celtic Twilight to the present day and with helpful literary and historical chronologies, Contemporary Irish Literature is organized by genre, with sections on poetry, drama, and fiction. The profusion of award-winning Irish poets, playwrights, and novelists are discussed in terms of the role these writers play within the current Irish literary renaissance, occurring simultaneously with Ireland’s most recent modernization and prosperity, in addition to their own individual merits. Particularly intriguing are the chapters on the contemporary contribution to literature from the troubled province of Northern Ireland, the work of the newly-canonical female writers, and the recent innovative work appearing on the Irish stage. This is the literature of a New Ireland, experiencing all the rewards and the regrets that cultural change can occasion. Contemporary Irish Literature is the authoritative source to consult for anyone interested in contemporary Irish literature.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is indeed the world of "contemporary" Irish writing, for Mahony includes only the living, from "famous Seamus" Heaney to 33-year-old Colum McCann. Divided into three long chapters covering poetry, the stage, and fiction, the book devotes five to ten pages to each of the major living writers, with brief biographies, publication histories, discussion of important individual works, and the themes and motifs of each. Mahony (Ctr. for Irish Studies, Catholic Univ.) manages to convey an enormous amount of information within her tight format and writes with admirable clarity and insight. This is meant to be an introductory text only for those first discovering that Irish literature continues on after Yeats, Joyce, and Beckett. The only current one-volume introduction to these writers, this is essential for all libraries with a literary collection at any level.?Shelley Cox, Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“A prodigious piece of scholarship, this well-written study will be indispensable in the burgeoning study of Irish literature.” —Choice

“The only current one-volume introduction to these writers, this is essential for all libraries with a literary collection at any level.” —Library Journal

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (December 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312158718
• ISBN-13: 978-0312158712
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,908,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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