Irish Writing in the Twentieth Century: A Reader - Hardcover

'One of the most ambitious and comprehensive literary anthologies ever published in this countryA... a major anthology of our literature, aimed at students and the general publicA... a very impressive piece of workA...For students it is structured for thematic study, but the ordinary enthusiastic reader can drift through all that and just enjoy.' Ronan Farren, Sunday Independent. 'Anyone who enjoys good writing by Irish authors will find plenty to enthral them among its more than 400 pieces It is such a rich collection A...a bargain too, given it scale, and would make a marvellous gift for anyone interested in Irish writing.' Tina Neylon, Irish Examiner. 'A comprehensive anthology of Irish writing in the 20th centuryA...nothing can take away from the vision and sheer scope of the work. Almost everything you can think of is here, from Douglas Hyde to O'Casey and Yeats, Greg Delanty and Paul Durcan, and all that comes between.' Terence Killeen, Irish Times. 'This book has an admirable agenda which is in the most basic of senses A"historicistA"A... makes choices which succinctly draw together and exemplify the major debates taking placeA... Pierce always has an eye on the literary in the context of cultural politics. The fact that he never loses sight of Irish America's contribution to Irish debates is an important reminder to students and readers of the often diasporic nature of cultural exchange about Ireland.'Colin Graham, The Year's Work in English Studies. 'It is a delight to come across David Pierce's essential reader designed as a core text in modern Irish writing and Irish Studies programmesA...one of the best contributions to Irish Studies I have come across.' Sarah Fulford. Studies. 'The informative headnotes, chronology, supplementary indexes listing the contents by topic and theme, bibliographies, and tips for essay writing further make this an outstanding text for teachers, students, and researchers. Indeed, the rich and varied contents, thought-provoking presentation, and the inclusion of writing by women and diasporic Irish writers make this reader superior in many ways to volume three of The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing. D. R. McCarthy, Choice (USA)

With five Nobel Prize-winners, seven Pulitzer Prize-winners and two Booker Prize-winning novelists, modern Irish writing has contributed something special and permanent to our understanding of the twentieth century. Irish Writing in the Twentieth Century provides a useful, comprehensive and pleasurable introduction to modern Irish literature in a single volume.Organized chronologically by decade, this anthology provides the reader with a unique sense of the development and richness of Irish writing and of the society it reflected.It embraces all forms of writing, not only the major forms of drama, fiction and verse, but such material as travel writing, personal memoirs, journalism, interviews and radio plays, to offer the reader a complete and wonderfully varied sense of Ireland's contribution our literary heritage.David Pierce has selected major literary figures as well as neglected ones, and includes many writers from the Irish diaspora. The range of material is enormous, and ensures that work that is inaccessible or out of print is now easily available.The book is a delightful compilation, including many well known pieces and captivating discoveries, which anyone interested in literature will long enjoy browsing and dipping into.