Modern Irish Writers: A Bio-Critical Sourcebook

by Alexander G. Gonzalez

Overview

While the Irish Literary Revival began around 1885 and ended somewhere between 1925 and 1940, the Irish Renaissance has continued to the present day and shows no sign of abating. The period has produced some of the most important and influential figures in Irish literature, some of whom are counted among the world's greatest authors. The Revival saw a reestablishment of Ireland's literary connections with its Celtic heritage, and writers such as William Butler Yeats and Lady Gregory drew heavily on the myths and legends of the past. James Joyce boldly reshaped the novel and wrote short fiction of enduring value. Contemporary Irish writers continue to be leading figures and include such authors as Brian Frigl, Seamus Heaney, and Eavan Boland.

Included in this reference book are alphabetically arranged entries for more than 70 modern Irish writers, including Samuel Beckett, William Trevor, Patrick Kavanagh, Medbh McGuckian, Sean O'Casey, J. M. Synge, and Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill. Entries are written by expert contributors and reflect a broad range of perspectives. Each entry contains a brief biography that summarizes the author's career, a discussion of major works and themes, an overview of the author's critical reception, and a bibliography of primary and secondary works. An introductory essay reviews the large and growing body of scholarship on modern Irish literature, while an extensive bibliography concludes the volume.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313295577
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	08/26/1997
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.06(d)
Lexile:	1420L (what's this?)

About the Author

ALEXANDER G. GONZALEZ is Profesor of English, specializing in Irish literature at Cortland College of the State University of New York. He has taught at the University of California at Santa Barbara and at The Ohio State University. During the summer of 1991 he served as Distinguished Scholar in Residence at The Pennsylvania State University, where he taught a course on contemporary Irish women poets. He has published several books, including Assessing the Achievement of J. M. Synge (Greenwood, 1996), and his articles have appeared in jourbanals such as Studies in Short Fiction, Irish University Review, Colby Quarterly, South Atlantic Review, and Eire-Ireland.

Table of Contents

Introduction
AE (George William Russell)
Samuel Beckett
Brendan Behan
Eavan Boland
Elizabeth Bowen
Paul Vincent Carroll
Ciaran Carson
Austin Clarke
Padraic Colum
Mary Colum
Daniel Corkery
Dennis Devlin
Paul Durcan
Desmond Egan
John Eglinton
Darrell Figgis
Brian Friel
Oliver St. John Gogarty
Lady Augusta Gregory
Seamus Heaney
F. R. Higgins
Rita Ann Higgins
Denis Johnston
Jennifer Johnston
James Joyce
Patrick Kavanaugh
John B. Keane
Molly Keane
Benedict Kiely
Thomas Kinsella
Mary Lavin
Michael Longley
John McGahern
Medbh McGuckian
Michael McLaverty
Bryan MacMahon
Brinsley MacNamara
Louis MacNeice
Derek Mahon
Edward Martyn
Paula Meehan
Maire Mhac an tSaio
Susan L. Mitchell
John Montague
Brian Moore
George Moore
Paul Muldoon
Richard Murphy
Thomas Murphy
T. C. Murray
Eilean Ni Chuilleanain
Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill
Edna O'Brien
Flann O'Brien
Kate O'Brien
Sean O'Casey
Padraic O Conaire
Frank O'Connot
Tomas O Crohan
Peadar O'Donnell
Julia O'Faolain
Sean O'Faolain
Liam O'Flaherty
Seumas O'Kelley
James Plunkett
Lennox Robinson
W. R. Rodgers
Peig Sayers
James Simmons
Somerville and Ross
James Stephens
Eithne Strong
Francis Stuart
J. M. Synge
William Trevor
Katherine Tynan
W. B. Yeats

Editorial Reviews

Arranged alphabetically, 77 entries contain a brief biography, a concise, detailed discussion of the author's major works and themes, a review of the author's critical reception, and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. Appended is a main bibliography that lists the most significant secondary sources in the field, from broad literary histories to books and articles specifically written on fiction, drama and poetry. This source-mania extends even to the editor's introduction, where his love of Irish studies (and bibliographies) and expertise result in mini-reviews of his favorite resources. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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