Literary fantasyfan Vote • December 2013

[sun surfer]

Help us choose the December 2013 selection to read for the MR Literary Club! The poll will be open for three days.

The vote is multiple choice. You may vote for as many or as few as you like.

The Rotating nominator (this month - fantasyfan) may not vote in the poll.

A discussion thread will begin shortly after a winner is chosen.

In the event of a tie, there will be a one-day non-multiple-choice run-off poll (where the Rotating nominator again may note vote). In the event that the run-off poll also ends in a tie, the tie will be resolved by the Rotating nominator.


Select from the following works:


Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Maturin

Spoiler:

{1820}


fantasyfan writes:

This is one of the most famous gothic novels ever written and Maturin {Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin after Swift} pulls out all the stops of the genre. Melmoth has made a Satanic deal which he now finds not to his liking and is in search of someone in such dire straits that they will agree to take his place.

In the introduction to the Oxford edition Douglas Grant describes Maturin as “a brilliant psychologist of the perverse” and that while it clearly belongs to the tradition of Ann Radcliffe “it anticipates the psychological, metaphysical novel of the future. Dostoevsky and Kafka are low on the horizon. . . “

The novel was originally published in a much shorter version available in Feedboks and Project Gutenberg. The full length version is the longest of my selections running to over 560 pages in the Oxford edition. It does, however, divide into a series of linked vignettes.


It is available at Amazon UK, Amazon US, iTunes, Kobo, and Feedbooks—generally at a moderate price.

The Real Charlotte by E. Œ. Somerville and Martin Ross

Spoiler:

{1894}


Review from Amazon:

“A late Victorian novel creating a picture of the Anglo-Irish Ascendency, it is darker and more pessimistic than the light-hearted Irish RM. series. A long novel to say the least, this story of wonderfully weaved insanity, sexual jealousy and criminal activity, cannot fail to tug at those heart strings. A must read book over a long, long, long winter will soon have you selling up and moving straight to Lismoyle faster than you can say Charlotte Mullen!” - A Customer


"Somerville and Ross" was the pseudonym for the writing team of E. Œ. Somerville (how Edith Somerville preferred to sign herself) and Martin Ross (a pseudonym for Violet Martin, Somerville's cousin).


Available from Feedbooks, Amazon UK and Amazon US; 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.


Edith Somerville died as recently as 1949, so another year plus to go on her in life+75. The Canadians and Australians (as she's in that first tier) are in luck, however. issybird checked an off-shore Kobo site and it's available as a free download, but she has no idea how readable the copy is.

The Crock of Gold by James Stephens

Spoiler:

{1912}


The New York Times writes:

‘When their hidden gold is stolen, the leprechauns of Gort na Cloca seek revenge from local villagers. Captivating, unique fantasy, written by one of modern Ireland’s best-loved authors, abounds with bizarre adventures, curious characters, and weird sights. A wise and beautiful fairy tale for grown–ups, "full of sympathy and tenderness and sly satire, of merriment and of poetry."


This engaging fantasy is free in multiple formats in Many Books and Feedbooks. It is purchasable in Kobo, Amazon UK, Amazon US and iTunes.

The Islandman by Tomas O’Crohan

Spoiler:

AKA The Islander


{1923} Two translations available.


fantasyfan writes:

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 UK and Amazon US, while Kobo has The Islander.

At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O’Brien

Spoiler:

[1939}


fantasyfan writes:

Heavily influenced by Joyce, it shares the linguistic exuberance of Flann’s mentor.

“Flann O'Brien's first novel is a brilliant impressionistic jumble of ideas, mythology and nonsense. Operating on many levels it incorporates plots within plots, giving full rein to O'Brien's dancing intellect and Celtic wit. The undergraduate narrator lives with his uncle in Dublin, drinks too much with his friends and invents stories peopled with hilarious and unlikely characters, one of whom, in a typical O'Brien conundrum, creates a means by which women can give birth to full-grown people. Flann O'Brien's blend of farce, satire and fantasy result in a remarkable, astonishingly innovative book.” - Amazon


Available at Feedbooks, Amazon UK, Amazon US, iTunes, and Kobo

My Oedipus Complex and Other Stories by Frank O’Connor

Spoiler:

{from The Collected Stories, 1957}


fantasyfan writes:

O’Connor is one of the very greatest Irish short story writers. He believed in selecting a “Glowing centre of action” that straddles past and future and that somehow affects the life and growth of a character through their own choice. His characters bear the responsibility for their own fate--be it good or bad. This collection includes such memorable tales as “First Confession”, “The Majesty of the Law”, “Uprooted”, and the title story.


Available at Amazon UK, Amazon US, iTunes and Kobo.

Borstal Boy by Brendan Behan

Spoiler:

{1958}


From Wikipedia:

“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.”


Available at Amazon UK, Amazon US, iTunes, Kobo, and Feedbooks.

Under the Eye of the Clock by Christopher Nolan

Spoiler:

{1989}


From Amazon:

“This is the story of Joseph Meehan, born cruelly handicapped and known to the world as “the crippled boy”. Filled with insight into the soul inside a broken body and warm with the beauties of the Irish landscape it is the story of Joseph’s fight to escape the restrictions and confines of his existence. Under the Eye of the Clock can also be read as the autobiography of its author, Christopher Nolan.”


From Wikipedia:

“Nolan's autobiography Under the Eye of the Clock (published 1987), won the Whitbread Award and was named Book of the Year. Although it's an autobiography it is narrated by a fictional character named Joseph Meehan who details Nolan's life as a third-person biography. The book reveals the deep relationship between Nolan and his mother, whom he calls Nora. Under the Eye of the Clock shows how Nolan's parents engaged him in conversation and outdoor activities like hiking and horseback riding. Under the Eye of the Clock was a best seller in Britain and the United States. Nolan's writing style is often compared to James Joyce, and Dylan Thomas.”


Amazon UK, Amazon US, iTunes, Kobo, Feedbooks all have it.

[kennyc]

Drive-by vote for My Oedipus Complex and Other Stories by Frank O’Connor

[Bookpossum]

Great list, fantasyfan! In the end I voted for Somerville, Stephens and O'Brien, based on their availability to me.

[issybird]

I eliminated the two I've read, then it got tough. I decided that I'd skip the ascendancy (although I'd like to read both novels and was highly entertained by the Irish RM collections). Then I back-burnered the fantasy. Done! Although I'll be delighted with any of them.

[Bookpossum]

For those who can get the free copy of The Real Charlotte on Kobo, it actually appears six times. Ignore the first three, which are (in order) Volume 3 at 319 pages, Volume 2 at 292 pages and Volume 1 at 254 pages.

The fourth, fifth and sixth all appear to be complete copies at 845, 843 and 846 pages respectively. However, I ditched the fourth one as it seemed to have a number of typos in the first few pages, and finished up with the fifth copy, assuming that typos and bad layout account for the extra pages in numbers 4 and 6. But I could well be wrong!

[Billi]

Another very interesting choice of books I couldn't have found myself. Do we have any other Irish people here, maybe amongst those who live in the US? (Of course, only if you want to share.)

[desertblues]

What an interesting list this month. I did read some Irish writers, but long ago. This is my chance for enlarging my horizon.

As being a wanderer myself I can't resist a book with the title Melmoth the wanderer.
My Oedipus complex.....well, who hasn't one or the other complex?
And for good measure, I think some recreational reading, I choose Under the eye of the clock.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Billi

Another very interesting choice of books I couldn't have found myself. Do we have any other Irish people here, maybe amongst those who live in the US? (Of course, only if you want to share.)

Everyone's a bit Irish!

[desertblues]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Everyone's a bit Irish!

he, he, perhaps in the US. I actually have some Danish and German ancestors.

[BelleZora]

My ancestors were pretty much all English, but some sort of transmutation of genes occurs in the US causing a mass wearing of green on St. Patrick's day and the ingestion of corned beef, cabbage, and green beer. We also weep upon hearing Irish rebel and love songs. Probably the green beer.

Originally Posted by Billi

Another very interesting choice of books I couldn't have found myself. Do we have any other Irish people here, maybe amongst those who live in the US? (Of course, only if you want to share.)

Well I could be. I'm sort of a mongrel of mixed north European ancestry, most of that unknown in actual country of origin, The only thing I can say for sure is that some ancestors were from the British Isles (including Ireland) and I am definitely one eighth Icelandic through my mother's side.

Still like others have stated I am as up for celebration of Saint Patrick's day as any, though just for the beer (don't care for corned beef&cabbage) and the good time.

Originally Posted by kennyc

Everyone's a bit Irish!

Part Cherokee as well in America. Or so people will claim.

[BelleZora]

Originally Posted by Hamlet53

Part Cherokee as well in America. Or so people will claim.

So true. Why is that, do you think? Probably the anchor ancestor.

[issybird]

Three of my great-grandparents were born in the Auld Sod. Do I win?

[BelleZora]

Issybird:

[issybird]

Sláinte!