{"product_id":"the-oxford-companion-to-irish-literature","title":"The Oxford Companion to Irish Literature","description":"\u003cp\u003eBy turns sacred or profane  mystical or earthy  scathingly satirical and modern or achingly nostalgic for the ever-receding past  the literature of Ireland has long entranced and entertained readers the world over. Now The Oxford Companion to Irish Literature provides a comprehensive and delightfully readable guide to the evolution and achievements of Irish writers and writing across sixteen tumultuous centuries  from fourth-century ogam writing etched on ancient stones  to the towering twentieth-century figures of Yeats  Joyce  and Beckett  to the bold new voices emerging today as Ireland enters a new era and a new century. Written by a distinguished team of writers from Ireland and around the world  this remarkable Companion offers over 2 000 entries that provide insight into the intimate fusion of history  literature  and culture that distinguishes so much of Irelands poetry  drama  and fiction. Unrivalled in scope  this superb volume encompasses writing in both the Irish language and in English  across the religious and political spectrums  by native Irish and Anglo-Irish writers and such outsiders as Londoner Edmund Spenser  who completed The Faerie Queen--and indeed most of his lifes work--during his two decades in Ireland. In contrast to other  less complete references  the editors of this Companion seek always to show the complex and continuing influence of the Irish language on writers in English  and vice versa. And as befits a country where so many writers have not only been commentators and observers of history but also active participants in the nations affairs  there are dozens of entries on important historical events that shaped the lives and fired the imaginations of the Irish  from the Battle of the Boyne and the Great Famine of the 1840s  to the Easter Uprising of 1916 and todays continuing conflicts and controversies. Hundreds of biographical entries range from the early bards and authors such as Adaman  the seventh century abbot and biographer of the Irish saint Colum Cille  to contemporary writers such as Seamus Heaney  Brian Friel  and Booker Prize-winning novelist Roddy Doyle. The myriad contributions of Irelands women writers also are well-represented here  with entries on folklorist and dramatist Lady Gregory  co-founder of Irelands world-renowned Abbey Theatre  and many others  including the novelists and short story writers Mary Lavin  Elizabeth Bowen  Julia OFaolain  Edna OBrien and Maeve Binchy  and contemporary poets Eilean Ni Chuilleanain  Nuala Ni Dhomnaill  and Rita Ann Higgins. Whether readers are seeking a quick introduction to the mythic figures of Cu Chulainn and the sidh  or fairy folk  who haunt the pages of Yeatss early poems  a handy whos who to the Dublin of Swift  Joyce  or Behan  or an invitation into the theatrical worlds of J.M. Synge or Sean OCasey  The Oxford Companion to Irish Literature is a wonderfully accessible reference and an indispensable research tool. It will be treasured not only by students and scholars of Irish writing and history  but by anyone seeking a more acute understanding of one of the worlds most vibrant literary traditions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44956201812021,"sku":"ByrdShop_0198661584","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780198661580.jpg?v=1770317637","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-oxford-companion-to-irish-literature","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}