Irish Classics by Declan Kiberd
In this survey of enduring Irish classics, Declan Kiberd offers a discussion of the greatest work since 1600 in the two languages, Irish and English, that have shaped one of the world's literary cultures. Kiberd provides translations that seek to bring the texts alive for the English-speaking reader. He covers the bitter poetry of Seathrun Ceitinn and Dabhi O'Bruadair and the prose of Jonathan Swift and Edmund Burke; links the modern achievements of O'Riordain and O'Cadhain with Yeats, Joyce and the other familiar figures of Irish modernism; and shows how all of them draw on early Irish themes.
The most immediately striking aspect of Kiberd's brave enterprise is the sheer accessibility of the texts selectedThere is never a suggestion of unworthiness in this ambitious survey of the enduring Irish classics, and the author's avowed intention of choosing works that challenge each successive generation is effortlessly fulfilled. To the non-specialist, his translations of the text extracts appear idiomatic and contemporary, but it is his enthusiasm for the great Irish writers that is communicated at every opportunity. For the modern reader, the early Gaelic writers will be unfamiliar, but Kiberd is adroit at conveying their special qualities. Nevertheless, we are on comfortable ground when we reach Jonathan Swift and Gulliver's Travels, and the author is able to deal intelligently with issues that remain paramount in any discussion of Irish writing, such as the necessity for exile, silence and cunning, exemplified in the brilliantly written chapter on Joyce and Ulysses. For those interested in the field, this book can open many new vistas.
Declan Kiberd is Professor of Anglo-Irish literature at University College Dublin.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781862073869 |
| ISBN 10 | 1862073864 |
| Title | Irish Classics |
| Author | Declan Kiberd |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Granta Books |
| Year published | 2000-10-10 |
| Number of pages | 704 |
| Prizes | Short-listed for Irish Times Literary Prize,Irish Non-fiction 2001 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |