The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories

by William Trevor (Editor)

In Ireland what began as both entertainment and communication through the spoken word grew into a literary form unmatched by any other country. The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories triumphantly demonstrates that development, from early folk tales of the oral tradition (here translated from
the Irish) through Oliver Goldsmith, Maria Edgeworth, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce and Joyce Cary to Elizabeth Bowen, Liam O'Flaherty and such rising stars of today as Edna O'Brian and Desmond Hogan. William Trevor, himself a distinguished short story writer, brings a special sensibility and awareness
to his role as editor. This wide-ranging collection of forty-six stories will certainly serve to entertain and enrich our understanding of a unique literary genre.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Ireland, Irish Literature, Anthologies, Literature, 20th Century

Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

William Trevor, KBE grew up in various provincial towns and attended a number of schools, graduating from Trinity College, in Dublin, with a degree in history. He first exercised his artistry as a sculptor, working as a teacher in Northern Ireland and then emigrated to England in search of work when the school went bankrupt. He could have returned to Ireland once he became a successful writer, he said, "but by then I had become a wanderer, and one way and another, I just stayed in England ... I hated leaving Ireland. I was very bitter at the time. But, had it not happened, I think I might never have written at all."

In 1958 Trevor published his first novel, A Standard of Behaviour, to little critical success. Two years later, he abandoned sculpting completely, feeling his work had become too abstract, and found a job writing copy for a London advertising agency. 'This was absurd,' he said. 'They would give me four lines or so to write and four or five days to write it in. It was so boring. But they had given me this typewriter to work on, so I just started writing stories. I sometimes think all the people who were missing in my sculpture gushed out into the stories.' He published several short stories, then his second and third novels, which both won the Hawthornden Prize (established in 1919 by Alice Warrender and named after William Drummond of Hawthornden, the Hawthornden Prize is one of the UK's oldest literary awards). A number of other prizes followed, and Trevor began working full-time as a writer in 1965.

Since then, Trevor has published nearly 40 novels, short story collections, plays, and collections of nonfiction. He has won three Whitbread Awards, a PEN/Macmillan Silver Pen Award, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. In 1977 Trevor was appointed an honorary (he holds Irish, not British, citizenship) Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to literature and in 2002 he was elevated to honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE). Since he began writing, William Trevor regularly spends half the year in Italy or Switzerland, often visiting Ireland in the other half. He lived in Devon, in South West England, on an old mill surrounded by 40 acres of land.

Reviews

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

For when all is said and done, it wasn't his slim and shapely person, his skygrey eye, his cheek red as a foxglove, no, it was the hare-lip, that disfigurement he was marked with from the womb --he didn't even try to hide it with a moustache--that attracted her eye and her passionate lips. It attracted and repelled her, often her disgust got the upper hand, too often, that's what left the web of her young life a heap of grey dust today. Even now it was the hare-lip she saw coming at her like a bloodsucking lamprey through a grey sea-lough.
-- from The Hare-Lip, by Mairtain O Cadhain

The great attraction of this collection is coming across stories like the above, fiction that may not be as familiar as the work (The Dead, Guests of the Nation) that is well established beyond the shores of Ireland. So interesting to see Trevor's choices, especially because they pre-date the most recent Irish short story renaissance of the past decade or so. But even given the time frame of this collection, there are some strange omissions (Maeve Brennan, where art thou?) and I would have liked to see more from the few women who make the cut--Mary Lavin, for instance. I've ordered the anthology Anne Enright edited for Granta and I'm looking forward to seeing what she has added, and where their selections overlap.

That said, this is a great collection, wide-ranging in many respects. Trevor begins with Irish fables that speak to the oral tradition that's as vital to the national character as it is to the Irish literary tradition. A stroke of genius, that. Selected work ranges from a cheerful entertainment by the Somerville/Ross team to the mandatory entries from Seán O Faolain and Frank O'Connor, Oscar Wilde, Oliver Goldsmith, Elizabeth Bowen. There are some rather terrifying stories, including a blackbeard-like piece called The Brown Man. The misery of the famine was unspoken but felt deeply present in that particular story. Trevor closes the collection with the likes of Bernard MacLaverty and Edna O'Brien-- established writers who must have been relative newcomers when Trevor was putting this collection together in the eighties.

I was especially smitten with two stories translated from the Irish-- My Little Black Ass by Padraic O Conaire and The Hare-Lip by Mairtain O Cadhain, both translated from the Irish language by Eoghan O Tuaririsc. My Little Black Ass accomplishes the feat of making characters who could be stereotypes believable and poignant-- I laughed out loud reading that story, even as I was moved-- read it multiple times for the sheer pleasure of it. The Hare-Lip is a gorgeous piece of language and imagination, with great insight into human nature. The passage quoted above is typical of its beauty and originality. Although I don't speak Irish I can feel that the translator is a great artist as well.

Guests of the Nation is one of the most famous stories in the short fiction canon and yet somehow I never read it (although it's in the VS Pritchett ed. Oxford Short Stories I've read and re-read since my early teens). I was completely unprepared for the impact and the deep, tender humanity of this work. Brought to mind a host of other work: Brian Friel's Translations, Suite Francaise, and the film The Crying Game which I now realize is a heartfelt homage. Believe Zadie Smith may have been thinking about this story when she wrote those early wartime scenes in White Teeth--there's something about the humor and the sensibility, and the tragedy, too. The haplessness of all concerned, and the terrible cost of war.

Most stories, while deeply "Irish," have that universality that is the mark of great art. As mentioned above, the Brown Man felt like a bluebeard story, and Carleton's The Death of a Devotee brought Hawthorne to mind-- in prose style as well as theme.

Highly recommend this collection with caveat that readers invest in additional anthologies-- there are so many great short story writers in Ireland today (and the past) who didn't make this collection. Expect to encounter Kevin Barry, Danielle McLaughlin, Mary Costello, Colm Toibin, Eilís Ní Dhuibhne, Claire Keegan and others in the Granta book.

[Hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for ENG 304: Late British Literature 1760 - Present.

[Jeff Hobbs]

Read so far:

Hour of death
Fionn in search of his youth
Cromwell and the friar
Girl and the sailor
Four-leafed shamrock and the cock
Cow that ate the piper
Conal and Donal and Taig
Adventures of a strolling player / Oliver Goldsmith
Limerick gloves / Maria Edgeworth--2
*Death of a devotee / William Carleton
Brown man / Gerald Griffin
Green tea / Sheridan Le Fanu--1
Albert Nobbs / George Moore
Sphinx without a secret / Oscar Wilde--2
*Philippa's fox-hunt / E. CE. Somerville and Martin Ross
*The priest / Daniel Corkery
The weaver's grave / Seumas O'Kelly--2
*The dead / James Joyce
My little black ass / Padraic O Conaire
*The triangle / James Stephens
Bush River / Joyce Cary--2
*The pedlar's revenge / Liam O'Flaherty
*The fanatic / Liam O'Flaherty
Her table spread / Elizabeth Bowen--2
*The faithless wife / Sean O'Faolain
*The sugawn chair / Sean O'Faolain
Guests of the nation / Frank O'Connor--3
Majesty of the law / Frank O'Connor--4
Pastorale / Patrick Boyle
Hare-lip / Mairtin O Cadhain
*The poteen maker / Michael McLaverty
Ring / Bryan MacMahon
*Sarah / Mary Lavin
Desert Island / Terence De Vere White
*The pilgrims / Benedict Kiely
Weep for our pride / James Plunkett
The loser / Val Mulkerns
The bird I fancied / Aidan Higgins
*Death in Jerusalem / William Trevor
The diviner / Brian Friel--3
*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
Airedale / Desmond Hogan

[bahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The modern short story may be defined as the distillation of an essence”
As a whole it is a great collection and it is noticeable that each was carefully chosen. In spite of not all having the same theme, the essence of them all is the same.

[RD Chiriboga Moncayo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential for short story lovers.

[amanda🧸 · Rating 5 out of 5]

unmatched in the deepness and style of writing that really shows you what people were going through. written magically and includes a lot of sadness and deep deep topics

[Amy in the Desert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't find any I liked :(

[Lisa Guidarini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished stories assigned for a group read.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

For when all is said and done, it wasn't his slim and shapely person, his skygrey eye, his cheek red as a foxglove, no, it was the hare-lip, that disfigurement he was marked with from the womb --he didn't even try to hide it with a moustache--that attracted her eye and her passionate lips. It attracted and repelled her, often her disgust got the upper hand, too often, that's what left the web of her young life a heap of grey dust today. Even now it was the hare-lip she saw coming at her like a bloodsucking lamprey through a grey sea-lough.
-- from The Hare-Lip, by Mairtain O Cadhain

The great attraction of this collection is coming across stories like the above, fiction that may not be as familiar as the work (The Dead, Guests of the Nation) that is well established beyond the shores of Ireland. So interesting to see Trevor's choices, especially because they pre-date the most recent Irish short story renaissance of the past decade or so. But even given the time frame of this collection, there are some strange omissions (Maeve Brennan, where art thou?) and I would have liked to see more from the few women who make the cut--Mary Lavin, for instance. I've ordered the anthology Anne Enright edited for Granta and I'm looking forward to seeing what she has added, and where their selections overlap.

That said, this is a great collection, wide-ranging in many respects. Trevor begins with Irish fables that speak to the oral tradition that's as vital to the national character as it is to the Irish literary tradition. A stroke of genius, that. Selected work ranges from a cheerful entertainment by the Somerville/Ross team to the mandatory entries from Seán O Faolain and Frank O'Connor, Oscar Wilde, Oliver Goldsmith, Elizabeth Bowen. There are some rather terrifying stories, including a Blackbeard-like piece called The Brown Man. The misery of the famine was unspoken but felt deeply present in that particular story. Trevor closes the collection with the likes of Bernard MacLaverty and Edna O'Brien-- established writers who must have been relative newcomers when Trevor was putting this collection together in the late eighties.

I was especially smitten with two stories translated from the Irish-- My Little Black Ass by Padraic O Conaire and The Hare-Lip by Mairtain O Cadhain, both translated from the Irish language by Eoghan O Tuaririsc. My Little Black Ass accomplishes the feat of making characters who could be stereotypes believable and poignant-- I laughed out loud reading that story, even as I was moved-- read it multiple times for the sheer pleasure of it. The Hare-Lip is a gorgeous piece of language and imagination, with great insight into human nature. The passage quoted above is typical of its beauty and originality. Although I don't speak Irish I can feel that the translator is a great artist as well.

Guests of the Nation is one of the most famous stories in the short fiction canon and yet somehow I never read it (although it's in the VS Pritchett ed. Oxford Short Stories I've read and re-read since my early teens). I was completely unprepared for the impact and the deep, tender humanity of this work. Brought to mind a host of other work: Brian Friel's Translations, Suite Francaise, and the film The Crying Game which I now realize is a heartfelt homage. Believe Zadie Smith may have been thinking about this story when she wrote those early wartime scenes in White Teeth--there's something about the humor and the sensibility, and the tragedy, too, that conjured her novel for me. The haplessness of all concerned, and the terrible cost of war.

Most stories, while deeply "Irish," have that universality that is the mark of great art. As mentioned above, the Brown Man felt like a Bluebeard story, and Carleton's The Death of a Devotee brought Hawthorne to mind-- in prose style as well as theme. Certainly Guests of A Nation can speak to all of us.

Highly recommend this collection with caveat that readers also invest in more recent anthologies-- there are so many great short story writers in Ireland today (and the past) who didn't make this collection. To beat the poor dead horse, I am especially unsettled that Maeve Brennan is not included. But there are so many new writers to love in Ireland. Expect to encounter Kevin Barry, Danielle McLaughlin, Mary Costello, Colm Toibin, Eilís Ní Dhuibne, Claire Keegan and others in the Granta book. (less)

[Nancy Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a wonderful survey of short stories written by Irish writers (some famous, some not), this is a great book. Don't skip the introduction. Trevor sets the scene for the stories by providing some historical context and reasons for stories' inclusion in the volume.

[Paul Linden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from the quality of the stories (and honestly the first half was a bit of a slog) this collection of stories is interesting in the context of Irish history.

Analogous to history being written by the victor, literature is written by those with the leisure to do so. And writers will write about what’s important to them.

The first half consists of stories from the point of view of the Anglo-Irish ascendency. Although William Trevor himself was Anglo-Irish I’m confident that he chose stories representative of what’s available. The native Irish might get a small walk on part as a servant, or as a greedy, superstitious figure a more educated protagonist has to deal with. It’s not until Joyce that we get stories about those not from the gentry.

The Irish themselves come to the foreground in stories published after Irish independence, and since the stories are presented in chronological order, we get an insight the opening up of Ireland to the rest of the world.

One subject that’s conspicuous by its absence is the Great Famine of the 1840s. Not one of the stories references it even in passing even though many of the writers lived through it.

The book was published in 1993 so it’s missing the most recent 30 years of Irish history and literature. Ireland has changed more in the last 30 years than in the previous 70 so there’s room for volume 2 with more recent stories.

[Bruce Reiter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. I am studying for a personal relationship with the literature of Ireland. This is an anthology of Irish literature from way back to its publication in 1989. I am disappointed. Irish short stories are for the most part long stories. The descriptions are close-in and rich. Several poked a little fun about the English. Many I assume were written by Englishmen posing as Irish. Only one story looked at the killing of Enlish soldiers in retaliation for the deaths of Irish rebels. I am trying to find the feeling I have for the Ireland of the late 70s on. I will resume my search. Any help from GoodReads members?

[Donna Maroulis]

I enjoyed this collection of stories for the glimpse of mostly an earlier time in Ireland. The language, everyday life, social mores, but especially the all pervasive grip of the church in all their affairs was illuminating. It helps someone raised in a country where church and state are separate to understand how narrow minded one could become when no outside views are allowed. Where the church's views are thrashed into you daily and hatred for " other " is ingrained from early on.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a series of happy stories, and some are hardly stories at all but musings of a character without a plot. I think the editor, depending on his aim, ended the book with a poor selection because it is one of those pieces without a solid conclusion.

That being said, I loved this collection. There are quite a few stories that I hope to stumble upon again and again because of the loveliness of their language and the quality of plot.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories in this anthology were heartbreaking. Life in Ireland was/is hard and the people were/are harder! Well, not all the stories were dark but many were. There were some well-known authors but also some I'd never heard of but really enjoyed. Recommended for short story lovers.

[A. Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trevor selected thirty-nine stories and seven traditional tales. Storytelling is one of the three great gifts of the Irish, and this collection shows that, starting with Oliver Goldsmith and ending with Desmond Hogan.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoying this book so far although I wish there were editorial essays setting the authors and stories in historical context.

[Elly · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Trevor's choiches are a superb walk through 4 centuries of Irish short story telling.

[Edzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't like anything after "The Dead". Favourites: Le Fanu's "Green Tea", Edgeworth's "The Limerick Gloves" (a very Austenian comedy) and Moore's "Albert Nobbs".

[Kassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

De très bonnes histoires qui touchent à tous les genres !