 12:51, Tuesday, February 9, 2010 (in Ireland)
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Literary DublinIntroduction to Dublin and Ireland’s Literary TraditionBelow this introduction, you will find links to brief biographies of many of Dublin's famous literary figures. Ireland’s tradition of being a nation of scholars (as well as saints, of course!) goes back over a thousand years to when monks began transcribing the bible into great works of art. Ireland was one of the first nations to practice vernacular writing (writing in the spoken language) and for centuries stories of legends and mythology were written, nature being a major influence on these. Dublin’s most visible impact on world literature began in the 18th Century in the form of Anglo-Irish (Irish people of English descent) literature. Trinity College Dublin, founded in 1592, has produced many of the writers mentioned below and is well worth a visit. Here you may see the Book of Durrow and Book of Kells which are transcriptions of the Bible. Ireland’s first great writer recognized internationally was Jonathan Swift, author of Gullivers Travels and Dean of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. Some of the other best known writers of the time, such as Oliver Goldsmith (author of the Vicar of Wakefield), who dominated theatre in England at the time, came from Dublin. The most famous Irish poet of the 19th century, James Clarence Mangan, came from Dublin’s Fishamble Street, his most famous work being Dark Rosaleen. During this period Dublin produced a number of horror writers such as Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, and many of his ghost stories were based in Dublin. Bram Stoker, born in 1847 at 15 Marino Crescent in Clontarf is undoubtedly Ireland’s most famous horror writer. After marrying Florence Balcombe, who was also a girlfriend of Oscar Wilde, he moved to London where Dracula was written. Near the end of this century the Gaelic Revival embodied literature and Irish literature became popular once more. Many Irish tenors have taken inspiration from Thomas Moore’s traditional poems. Many of Ireland’s eminent writers were born in the 19th Century. Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw were born into different backgrounds. Shaws first home at 33 Synge St has been restored and is open to the public. It was here in this house that Shaw began to imagine the characters who would later feature in his writings. Shaw was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925. Shaw also lived in Torca Cottage, Torca Road in Dalkey. Oscar Wildes satires brought Dublin to prominence during the late Victorian era. His works including An Ideal Husband, the Importance of Being Earnest and the Picture of Dorian Gray have enshrined him as Ireland’s greatest satirist. His home for many years may be seen still in Merrion Square. The opening of the Abbey Theatre by WB Yeats and Lady Gregory in 1904 began a new dimension of Irish literature. John Millington Synge’s "Playboy of the Western World" caused riots when first staged here in 1907. It showed that peasants could be just as selfish and immoral as city dwellers. This statement contrasted sharply with the idealised image of the Irish peasant which was so dear to the hearts of Irish Nationalists. Most critics maintain, however, that "The Playboy of the Western World" was possibly one of the most important plays of the Irish Literary Revival. WB Yeats, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923 is one of Irelands most written about characters. He was born at 5 Sandymunt Avenue and became an Irish Nationalist who dreamt of Irish Independence. One of his most quoted poems, "Easter 1916" laments because of the destruction brought to Dublin by the British Army during the rebellion of 1916. The Rebellion of 1916 itself involved several Irish writers, most notably Padraig Pearse but also Joseph Plunkett and Thomas MacDonagh. Sean O’Casey, one of Irelands most renowned playwrights bore witness to the rebellion and many of his works are based around the Irish cause. Every year on 16th June Dublin celebrated the life of perhaps it’s most famous son, James Joyce born at 41 Brighton Square, Rathgar, Dublin. On Bloomsday (named after Leopold Bloom from Ulysses) there are several events around the city. The James Joyce Museum in Sandycove inspired the opening of the great book "Ulysses", whose first chapter is set in the tower. This novel established Joyce as one of the great writers of the world. Other Joycean attractions include the James Joyce Centre on North Great Georges Street and the Dublin Writers Museum on nearby Parnell Square. Samuel Beckett, one of Ireland’s famous emigrants left for Paris in 1932 and became Joyce’s secretary. Beckett’s particular minimalist style of writing has left its permanent mark on world literature. Beckett was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969. Flann O’Brien (real name Brian O'Nolan, but also know as Myles na Gopaleen, and George Knowall) was another of Dublin’s literary geniuses to emerge in the mid 20th Century. His comic tales such as The Third policeman and the Dalkey Archive are among his best know works. He grew up in 4 Avoca Terrace, Blackrock, Co. Dublin. Patrick Kavanagh, who walked from Monaghan to Dublin and became a Dubliner dealt with ordinary things in his poetry. He is commemorated by a statue of him on a canal bench next to the Grand Canal near Baggot Street. Brendan Behan, writer of "Borstal Boy" and "The Hostage" was a legend in his own (short) lifetime because of his colourful behaviour and drinking habits but he unfortunately died in 1964. His old haunts include McDaid’s Pub on Harry Street. The Dublin literary tradition continues and more recently Irish writers of importance and popularity have lived here such as Seamus Heaney, originally from County Derry and 1995 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, who lives in Sandymount, Michael Longley, a famous Irish poet from Belfast who taught in Dublin and now lives in County Mayo, Eavan Boland the famous feminist poet and Maeve Binchy, the popular novelist who lives in Dalkey, Co. Dublin. Some of Roddy Doyle's Dublin based novels about Dublin life have been made into films in recent years and have received international recognition. Brief Biographies of Famous Irish Literary Figures
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