The Skull of Swift: An Extempore Exhumation

by Shane Leslie

List of Illustrations
Prelude--The Skull of Swift
A Survey in Preface
Sir Wm Temple
King William
Orders & Disorders
The Battle of the Books
The Tale of a Tub
Jonathan's Travels
The Diary to Stella
Vanessa & the Dean
The King of Ireland
Gulliver's Travels
The Sinking of the Star
The Last Phase
Golgotha the Place of the Skull
Index

359 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1928

About the author

Sir Shane Leslie, Bt., KCSG

A prolific figure in Irish literature and a man of letters, Leslie achieved success on both sides of the Atlantic. Christened "John Randolph" in honour of his father John and his maternal uncle by marriage and godfather Lord Randolph Spencer Churchill (who had married his maternal aunt Jennie Jerome).

He was a graduate of Eton and received his degree from King's College, University of Cambridge.

An Irish Nationalist and supporter of Home Rule for Ireland, he changed his name to Shane - an Irish equivalent of John. A convert to Roman Catholicism, many of his literary works reflect his Catholic faith.

In 1910 he narrowly lost election to Parliament as representative for Derry City. His own political ambitions were not fulfilled, but his family was politically well-connected as his maternal first cousin was Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill.

He wrote novels, poetry, biographies, studies of Celtic legend and folklore, apologetics, histories, and several volumes of memoirs. In 1916, he became editor of the prestigious 'Dublin Review.'

A frequent visitor and lecturer in the United States (he was half-American, via his mother), he was the earliest literary mentor of F. Scott Fitzgerald who later dedicated his novel 'The Beautiful and Damned' (1922) to him.

During World War One, before the entry of the United States in the war, Leslie volunteered for service with the American Ambulance Corps and was wounded. He was later engaged by the British government to visit the United States (1916 to 1917) and assist the British Ambassador, Sir Cecil Arthur Spring-Rice, in gauging the attitudes of Irish-Americans toward the Great War and forming an alliance with Great Britain. As an Anglo-Irish aristocrat who was also a Catholic and half-American, he was well-suited for the role in helping to sway the majority of Catholic Irish-American opinion toward support of Britain in the war.

During World War Two, he volunteered for service in the British Army's Home Guard and was duly commissioned. He was stationed in the West End of London where he served as a captain during the Blitz. Upon his father's death in 1944, he became the third Baronet (Leslie of Glaslough).

He promoted the teaching of the Irish language in schools, was a strong advocate for reforestation in Ireland, and encouraged conservation. Proud of his American heritage, in 1947 he became a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. He was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by the University of Notre Dame, was an Associate Member of the Irish Academy of Letters, invested a Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great (KCSG) in 1960, and was appointed Privy Chamberlain of the Sword & Cape to Pope Pius XI. Proud of his half-American ancestry, as well as his English and Anglo-Irish heritage, he was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Leslie and his work have been the focus of several biographical and critical studies. His papers are in collections held by Eton College, University of Cambridge, Georgetown University, Boston College, University of Notre Dame, the National Library of Ireland, and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

- Biographical sketch provided courtesy of its researcher.