Ireland in Mind

Jacket Description/Back: Millions of Irish people have left their native country behind, and millions of tourists visit every year, yet the island never seems to lose its hold on their minds and hearts. Here is the proof: three centuries of fiction, poems, and essays, both from Irish expatriates like Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw, and from non-Irish visitors like Virginia Woolf and Paul Theroux. From the comic terror of Frank McCourt's First Communion to the raucous pagan festival Muriel Rukeyser attended in County Kerry in the 1930s; from John Betjeman's lyrical evocation of a ruined abbey in the mist to Eric Newby's hilariously disastrous bicycle trip through Ireland; from William Trevor's gentle Irish clergyman encountering the long angry reach of his country's past tragedies to Brian Moore's wistful return from a life spent in exile, this anthology offers a kaleidoscope of this mysterious, elusive country. For travelers of all kinds, for those who have long been fascinated by Ireland and those who are feeling its lure for the first time, Ireland in Mind will provide a rich and rewarding imaginative journey. Jacket Description/Flap: From Oscar Wilde to James Joyce, from Virginia Woolf to Frank McCourt: three centuries of Irish, English, and American writers in search of the real Ireland. From the editor of the outstandingly popular Italy in Mind comes another superb collection: three centuries of fiction, poems, and essays, from both Irish expatriates and non-Irish visitors. From the comic terror of Frank McCourt's First Communion to the raucous pagan festival Muriel Rukeyser attended in County Kerry in the 1930s; from John Betjeman's lyrical evocation of a ruined abbey in the mist to Eric Newby's hilariously disastrous bicycle trip through Ireland; from William Trevor's gentle Irish clergyman encountering the long angry reach of his country's past tragedies to Brian Moore's wistful return from a life spent in exile, this anthology offers a kaleidoscope of this mysterious, elusive country. For travelers of all kinds, for those who have long been fascinated by Ireland and those who are feeling its lure for the first time, Ireland in Mind will provide a rich and rewarding imaginative journey. Contributors also include: Samuel Beckett, Wallace Stevens, Oliver Goldsmith, Jonathan Swift, Edna O'Brien, Paul Theroux, V. S. Pritchett, Anthony Trollope, George Bernard Shaw, T. H. WhiteBiographical Note: Alice Leccese Powers lives in Washington, D. C. Table of Contents: "Introduction "CONNAUGHTHeinrich Boll"Mayo--God Help Us" "Skeleton of a Human Habitation" Thomas Flanaganfrom "The Year of the French " Eric Newby"To the Aran Islands" William Makepeace Thackeray"From Galway to Ballinahinch" Anthony Trollopefrom "The Macdermots of Ballycloran " T. H. White"Letter from a Goose Shooter" Oscar Wildefrom "The Letters of Oscar Wilde "80 MUNSTERAnnabel Davis-Goff"Glenville" Frank McCourtfrom "Angela's Ashes " George Moore"Home Sickness" Edna O'Brien"My Mother's Mother" Muriel Rukeyserfrom "The Orgy " Wallace Stevens"The Irish Cliffs of Moher" Paul Theroux"Discovering Dingle" Virginia Woolffrom "The Diary of Virginia Woolf " LEINSTERSamuel Beckettfrom "Mercier and Camier " John Betjeman"Ireland with Emily" Elizabeth Bowen"Unwelcome Idea" Maeve Brennan"The Morning After the Big Fire" Oliver Goldsmithfrom "The Deserted Village" James Joyce"A Little Cloud" Jan Morris"Do You Think Should He Have Gone Over?" George Bernard Shaw"Touring in Ireland" Jonathan Swift"An Answer to the Ballyspellin Ballad" William Trevor"Autumn Sunshine" ULSTERBrendan Behan"I'm a British Object, Said the Belfast-Man" Eamon Grennan"Facts of Life, Ballymoney" Bernard MacLaverty"Some Surrender" Brian Moore"Going Home" H. V. Mortonfrom "In Search of Ireland " Niall Williams and Christine Breenfrom "The Pipes Are Calling " David A. Wilson"Sweet Carnlough Bay"Marc Notes: 300 years of fiction, poetry & essays by Thackeray, Eric Newby, Jan Morris, Trollope, Joyce, Wilde, Shaw, McCourPublisher Marketing: A literary travel anthology of poetry, essays, fiction, and travelogues offers a portrait of the land, people, and culture of Ireland. Review Citations:

Booklist 03/01/2000 pg. 1188 (EAN 9780375703447, Paperback)

Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2000 pg. 232 (EAN 9780375703447, Paperback)

Contributor Bio:  Powers, Alice Leccese Alice Leccese Powers is the editor of the anthologies "Italy in Mind," "Ireland in Mind," "France in Mind, "and "Tuscany in Mind, "and co-editor of "The Brooklyn Reader: Thirty Writers Celebrate America? s Favorite Borough." A freelance writer and editor, she has been published in "The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, Newsday," and many other newspapers and magazines. Ms. Powers also teaches writing at the Corcoran School of Art and Georgetown University. She lives in Washington, D. C.