Irish Writers 1850 – 2000

£49.50

Ireland has always been associated with literary greats, the pens of these intellectual giants have formed much of the islands worldwide reputation. From the public-house antics of Brendan Behan to the self-proclaimed genius of Oscar Wilde, who, when asked by Customs on arrival in London had he anything to declare, replied “Only my Brilliance”. Many were touched by tragedy and early death, making their work all the more poignant. J.M. Synge and Behan died in their prime while Beckett was destined to a life of loneliness that gave to his work a depth and significance not often seen. Shaw treated subjects such as class distinction and religion with the same intelligence, while Yeats resurrected Erin’s legendary past for the world to fall in love with. Their reputations and achievements live through their art, a golden foundation for a tradition that continues to the present time in the form of Heaney and Friel.

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