Irish Women Writers An A-to-Z Guide

Subjects:

• Literature » Literature (General)
• Literature » English Literature
• Women's Studies » Women in Literature & the Arts

Reviews:

• Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers.
  —Choice June 2006
• [A] welcome and well-written addition to the growing body of reference works on Irish literature.
  —Reference Reviews March 2007
• As a guide for reading and research or as a tool for collection development, this informative guide will be welcome in both public and academic libraries.
  —Lawrence Looks at Books December 2006
• [T]he volume is a very good starting reference for anyone wishing to get a general sense of the body of work available by some of the most well-known Irish women authors....The reader is treated to an introduction of some of the best poets, fiction writers, and political commentators Ireland has to offer....[a] valuable addition to any library.
  —Feminist Collections Winter-Spring 2006
• Ireland's remarkable and long literary tradition receives a fine A-Z encyclopedic reference....Especially recommended as a strong college-level reference pick.
  —Library Bookwatch June 2006
• The introduction states that Women have long had such a shadowy half-life on the Irish map and in the Irish literacy anthology and that they are no more recognized than their sisters in other countries. This volume is a start to correcting this situation with its overviews of the lives and works of 75 Irish writers, including one of this reviewers favorites: Mauve Binchy. The signed entries give the birth and death dates of the authors. The essays, some as short as two pages and other as long as eight, provide a brief biography, a discussion of major works and themes, critical reception, and end with a list of works by the author and information written about her. A six-page selected bibliography provides additional resources. While this is a very specialized collective biography, it will be useful in English literature classes and perhaps in womens studies.
  —Gale Reference For Students April 2006
• Because of its in-depth discussions of major themes in each writer's work, and because many of the women who are treated are not included in other reference works available in the U.S., Irish Women Writers is strongly recommended for all college and large public libraries with sizable literature collections.
  —Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin April 1, 2006
• [T]he likes of Elizabeth Bowan, Anne Hartigan, Paula Meehan, Iris Murdock, and Katherine Tynan are described, their works are analyzed, and their place within Irish literature is evaluated. Entries include a brief biography followed by information on major works and themes and critical reactions, and a comprehensive list of books, drama and other works in Irish and in English, translations, and studies of the author. Although intended as a reference, the entries are so accessible the volume could also serve as general reading or an introduction to the lives and works of Irish women writers.
  —Reference & Research Book News February 2006

Table of Contents:

• Preface
• Introduction
• Anderson, Linda
• Bannister, Ivy; Beckett, Mary; Berkeley, Sara; Binchy, Maeve; Blackwood, Caroline; Boland, Eavan; Bourke, Angela; Bowen, Elizabeth; Boylan, Clare; Brennan, Elizabeth; Browne, Frances
• Callaghan, Mary Rose; Cannon, Moya; Carr, Marina; Casey, Juanita; Colum, Mary (Catherine Gunning Maguire); Crottie, Julia; Cummins, Geraldine
• Daly, Ita; Day, Suzanne; Deevy, Teresa; Devlin, Anne; Dillon, Eilis; Donoghue, Emma; Dorcey, Mary; Downing, Ellen Mary Patrick
• Edgeworth, Maria; Edwards, Ruth Dudley; Enright, Anne
• Frances, Mary E. (Mary Blundell)
• Gallagher, Miriam; Grand, Sarah; Gregory, Lady (Isabella Augusta Persse)
• Hartigan, Anne Le Marquand; Higgins, Rita Ann; Hoult, Norah
• Johnston, Jennifer; Jenkinson, Biddy; Jones, Marie
• Keane, Molly; Kelly, Eva; Kelly, Rita
• Lavin, Mary; Lawless, Emily; Lingard, Joan
• Madden, Deirdre; Martin, Joy; Mcguckian,Medbh; McNeill, Janet; Meehan, Paula; Mhac an tSaoi, Maire; Milligan, Alice; Mitchell, Susan L.; Morgan, Lady; Mulkerns, Val; Murdoch, Iris
• Ni Chuilleanain, Eilean; Ni Dhomhnaill, Nuala; Ni Dhuibhne, Eilis; Ni Ghlinn, Aine; Ni Ghrada, Mairead
• O'Brien, Edna; O'Brien, Kate; O'Donnell, Mary; O'Faolain, Julia; O'Faolain, Nuala; O'Malley, Mary
• Reid, Christina
• Sommerville and Ross; Strong, Eithne
• Tighe, Mary; Tynan, Katharine
• Wilde, Lady; Wingfield, Sheila
• Selected Bibliography
• About the Editor and Contributors
• Index