Quote:
Originally Posted by sun surfer
It's time for December's selections. fantasyfan, cad iad na leabhair atá agat dúinn?
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Here are the books I have for us.
All of the books except
The Real Charlotte and
The Islandman are available in epub in the iTunes Book Store.
“Amazon” refers to both the .com and the Uk stores.
In chronological order:
1.
Melmoth the Wanderer: Charles Maturin {1820}
It is available at Amazon, Kobo, and Feedbooks—generally at a moderate price.
2.
The Real Charlotte: Edith Somerville and Martin Ross: {1894}
Available from Feedbooks and Amazon,it is a bit pricey, and one might prefer the pb format from ABE. A library with a good Anglo Irish selection should have it too.
3.
The Crock of Gold: James Stephens {1912}
This engaging fantasy is free in multiple formats in Many Books and Feedbooks. It is purchasable in Kobo and Amazon
4.
The Islandman AKA
The Islander by Tomas O’Crohan {1923} Two translations available.
Spoiler:
A powerful autobiography originally written in beautiful Irish, this is a remarkable description of the life on The Great Blasket Island--the most westerly point in Europe. The most famous translation is that of Robin Flower who knew the author intimately, loved the island culture, and lived at intervals on the island.
“His books are considered classics of Irish-language literature containing portrayals of a unique way of life, now extinct, of great human, literary, linguistic, and anthropological interest. His writing is vivid, absorbing and delightful, full of incident and balance, fine observation and good sense, elegance and restraint”--Wikipedia
A more recent translation: The Islander, is that of Gary Bannister which claims to include passages deleted in Flower’s translation on the grounds that they were too earthy. I haven’t read the Bannister version but personally I liked Flower’s ability to convey the atmosphere of the Island and the character of the man.
Both translations are available on Amazon, while Kobo has
The Islander.
5.
At Swim Two Birds: Flann O’Brien [1939}
Available at Feedbooks, Amazon, and Kobo
6.
My Oedipus Complex and Other Stories by Frank O’Connor {from The Collected Stories, 1957}
Available at Amazon and Kobo
7.
Borstal Boy by Brendan Behan {1958}
Spoiler:
“In this vivid memoir of his time in Hollesley Bay Borstal, Suffolk, England, an original voice in Irish literature boomed out from its pages. The language is both acerbic and delicate, the portrayal of inmates and "screws" cerebral. For a Republican, though, it is not a vitriolic attack on Britain; it delineates Behan's move away from violence. By the end the idealistic boy rebel emerges as a realistic young man who recognises the truth: violence, especially political violence, is futile. Kenneth Tynan, the 1950s literary critic said: ‘While other writers hoard words like misers, Behan sends them out on a spree, ribald, flushed, and spoiling for a fight.’ He was now established as one of the leading Irish writers of his generation.”—Wikipedia
Available at Amazon, Kobo, and Feedbooks
8.
Under the Eye of the Clock by Christopher Nolan {1989}
Amazon, Kobo, Feedbooks all have it.