Dictionary of Irish Literature: Revised and Expanded Edition [Hardcover]

Robert Hogan (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0313291721 | ISBN-13: 978-0313291722 | Publication Date: November 30, 1996 | Edition: Rev Sub

Though Ireland is a small island with some five million inhabitants, it has produced one of the most remarkable bodies of literature in the world. Many Irish authors, such as Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, and James Joyce are among the most widely read and closely studied writers in the English language. The Irish literary renaissance during the earlier decades of the 20th century prompted authors to incorporate traditional Irish myths and legends in their works, and the last 15 years has witnessed a dramatic explosion of publishing activity in Ireland. This second edition of the Dictionary of Irish Literature is a revised, updated, and considerable expansion of the original volume. Through hundreds of entries, the work provides biographical facts, critical interpretation, and extensive bibliographical information for all significant Irish writers, past and present. Included are more than twice as many entries as in the first edition, along with current bibliographical material for all authors. Many of the new entries discuss writers who have emerged during the last 15 years, but a substantial number of entries cover earlier authors who were omitted from the first edition. Introductory material discusses the principal themes of Irish writing and the history of Irish literature, and a chronology provides a literary and historical time frame for the work.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Hogan did an excellent job of assembling contributors, compiling, and editing...The entries themselves are often very specific (unusual in such a book)...All entries are informed and informing. The excellent essays on major writers, such as the ones on Joyce and Shaw, deserve independent publication...Superior to Brian Cleeve's Dictionary of Irish writers...Highest recommendation for all college and university libraries.”–Choice, on the first edition

“The first edition established itself as a definitive resource for signed, incisive bibliographical essays treating Irish literary figures. The recent edition builds on that strength, updating previous entries and including prominent recent writers and lesser-known figures of the 18th and 19th centuries...[This] continues to be one of the major resources in the field.”–Choice

“A uniformly well written reference on the major and minor figures and institutions of modern Anglo-Irish literature...Recommended for both public and academic libraries.”–Library Journal, on the first edition

About the Author

ROBERT HOGAN is Professor Emeritus of English Literature at the University of Delaware.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1472 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood Press; Rev Sub edition (November 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313291721
• ISBN-13: 978-0313291722
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,985,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)