Recommended Pete Hamill offers up an epic tale of the Irish -- and almost every other immigrant group -- in America with Forever. An almost fantastical novel, Hamill's book begins outside Belfast, in the late 1730s. The Carson household seems a placid one, with a hardworking Dad (a blacksmith) and loving Mom. But soon, Hamill reveals tragic -- then dangerous -- details. … [Read more...] about Book Reviews
Literature
McCann Wins Princess Grace Award
New York-based Irish writer Colum McCann, 37, was awarded the first ever Princess Grace Memorial Literary Award on October 5, 2002 at the Hôtel de Paris, Monte Carlo. The award entitled "the Ireland Fund of Monaco Literary Award in Memory of Princess Grace" has a value of 15,000 euro and was created to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Grace. McCann, … [Read more...] about McCann Wins Princess Grace Award
Poetry for Young People Series: New W.B. Yeats Volume
A new book in the "Poetry for Young People" Sterling Series, featuring acclaimed Irish poet William Butler Yeats, would make an ideal Christmas present for any young reader. Yeats, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923, is recognized as one of the finest modern poets in the English language. He was also a playwright, theater-manager, politician, and a believer in … [Read more...] about Poetry for Young People Series: New W.B. Yeats Volume
Seamus Heaney to Read at Robert Frost Festival
Seamus Heaney, Ireland's foremost poet, is the featured guest at this year's Robert Frost Festival, which takes place on Saturday, October 26 in Lawrence, MA. Heaney will read at 7:00 p.m. at Lawrence High School, where Frost attended school and was the valedictorian of his class. The Robert Frost Foundation, a non-profit group that engages school children and the general … [Read more...] about Seamus Heaney to Read at Robert Frost Festival
Thomas Flanagan (1923-2003) Earned His Place in Irish Literature
By Seamus Heaney
On March 16, 2002, Thomas Flanagan reviewed a history of St. Patrick's day for The Irish Times and was identified by the paper's literary editor as "a novelist and scholar...currently working on a book about Irish-American writers." When he died in Berkeley from a heart attack five days later, he had submitted to The New York Book Review of Books his piece on William Kennedy … [Read more...] about Thomas Flanagan (1923-2003) Earned His Place in Irish Literature