The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories

Edited by William Trevor

Oxford Books of Prose & Verse

Spanning the entire history of the Irish short story, from folk-tales to modern writing, this is the most broad-ranging anthology available. Included are such masters as James Joyce and Elizabeth Bowen, who established Ireland at the forefront of the modern short story, as well as Frank O'Connor and Sean O'Faolain, the two most important writers since Joyce and Bowen. Trevor has selected stories by Bernard McLaverty and Desmond Hogan to represent the new generation of writers. But, as Elizabeth Bowen observed, the modern short story in Ireland is "a young art," and it is against the nation's deeply rooted oral tradition that it must be considered. Toward this end, The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories includes seven folk tales translated from the Irish by Sean O'Sullivan, and Seamus MacManus's re-telling of an Irish fairy tale. William Trevor is one of today's most famous and respected Irish writers. The 45 stories he has selected for this anthology, for which he has written a generous introduction, cover a 250-year period and works by 35 authors. Together they demonstrate the development of the short story in Ireland, a land where a flair for storytelling has "become a national characteristic."

The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories

Edited by William Trevor

Oxford Books of Prose & Verse

Description

Ireland has been called a nation of story-tellers. "Stories of one kind or another have a way of pressing themselves into Irish conversation, both as entertainment and as a form of communication," writes William Trevor. "For centuries they have been offered to strangers, almost as hospitality is: tall stories, simple stories, stories of extraordinary deeds, of mysteries and wonders, of gentleness, love, cruelty, and violence." Himself an accomplished short story writer, Trevor has gathered here a collection of stories that represent not only the best of Irish short story writing, but the best of the genre.
Spanning the entire history of the Irish short story, from folk-tales to modern writing, this is the most broad-ranging anthology available. Included are such masters as James Joyce and Elizabeth Bowen, who established Ireland at the forefront of the modern short story, as well as Frank O'Connor and Sean O'Faolain, the two most important writers since Joyce and Bowen. Trevor has selected stories by Bernard McLaverty and Desmond Hogan to represent the new generation of writers. But, as Elizabeth Bowen observed, the modern short story in Ireland is "a young art," and it is against the nation's deeply rooted oral tradition that it must be considered. Toward this end, The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories includes seven folk tales translated from the Irish by Sean O'Sullivan, and Seamus MacManus's re-telling of an Irish fairy tale.
William Trevor is one of today's most famous and respected Irish writers. (His work is represented here by the short story "Death in Jerusalem.") The 45 stories he has selected for this anthology, for which he has written a generous introduction, cover a 250-year period and works by 35 authors. Together they demonstrate the development of the short story in Ireland, a land where a flair for storytelling has "become a national characteristic."

The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories

Edited by William Trevor

Oxford Books of Prose & Verse

Introduction
The Hour of Death
Fionn in Search of his Youth
Cromwell and the Friar
The Girl and the Sailor
The Four-leafed Shamrock and the Cock
The Cow that ate the Piper
Conal and Donal and Taig
Adventures of a Strolling Player, Oliver Goldsmith
The Limerick Gloves, Maria Edgeworth
The Death of a Devotee, William Carleton
The Brown Man, Gerald Griffin
Green Tea, Sheridan Le Fanu
Albert Nobbs, George Moore
The Sphinx without a Secret, Oscar Wilde
Philippa's Fox Hunt, E.E. Somerville and Martin Ross
The Priest, Daniel Corkery
The Weaver's Grave, Seumas O'Kelly
The Dead, James Joyce
My Little Black Ass, Padraic O Conaire
The Triangle, James Stephens
Bush River, Joyce Carey
The Pedlar's Revenge, Liam O'Flaherty
The Fanatic, Liam O'Flaherty
Her Table Spread, Elizabeth Bowen
The Faithless Wife, Sean O'Faolain
The Sugawn Chair, Sean O'Faolain
Guests of the Nation, Frank O'Connor
The Majesty of the Law, Frank O'Connor
Pastorale, Patrick Boyle
The Hare-Lip, Mairtan O Cadhain
The Poteen Maker, Michael McLaverty
The Ring, Bryan MacMahon
Sarah, Mary Lavin
Desert Island, Terence De Vere White
The Pilgrims, Benedict Kiely
Weep for our Pride, James Plunkett
Loser, Val Mulkerns
The Bird I Fancied, Aidan Higgins
Death in Jerusalem, William Trevor
The Diviner, Brian Friel
An Occasion of Sin, John Montague
Irish Revel, Edna O'Brien
First Conjugation, Julia O'Faolain
The Beginning of an Idea, John McGahern
Life Drawing, Bernard Mac Laverty
The Airedale, Desmond Hogan
Acknowledgements
Index of Authors

The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories

Edited by William Trevor

Oxford Books of Prose & Verse

Author Information

William Trevor, novelist, short story writer, and dramatist, is the author of The Ballroom of Romance, Angels at the Ritz, The News from Ireland, and numerous other works.

Contributors:

Oliver Goldsmith
Maria Edgeworth
William Carleton
Gerald Griffin
Sheridan Le Fanu
George Moore
Oscar Wilde
E.E. Somerville and Martin Ross
Daniel Corkery
Seumas O'Kelly
James Joyce
Padraic O Conaire
James Stephens
Joyce Carey
Liam O'Flaherty
Liam O'Flaherty
Elizabeth Bowen
Sean O'Faolain
Frank O'Connor
Frank O'Connor
Patrick Boyle
Mairtan O Cadhain
Michael McLaverty
Bryan MacMahon
Mary Lavin
Terence De Vere White
Benedict Kiely
James Plunkett
Val Mulkerns
Aidan Higgins
William Trevor
Brian Friel
John Montague
Edna O'Brien
Julia O'Faolain
John McGahern
Bernard Mac Laverty
Desmond Hogan