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Boy With an Injured Eye
The scenes shift rapidly in this wide-ranging collection of short stories, a child flees the violence of civil war, a publican conducts stock-taking like a religious ritual,a student plays with the idea of universiality. The same skills of perception are at work throughout,and these qualities, together with his uncompromising prose make Ronan Sheehan`s first collection a remarkable one.
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July 5, 2024
"The scenes shift rapidly in this wide-ranging collection of short stories, a child flees the violence of civil war, a publican conducts stock-taking like a religious ritual, a student plays with the idea of universality. The same skills of perception are at work throughout,and these qualities, together with his uncompromising prose make Ronan Sheehan`s first collection a remarkable one." This is the description that Goodreads places against the 1993 Italian edition of this brilliant collection of stories first published in 1983. I don't know why the Italian edition takes pride of place on Goodreads listings, never mind why it has an English language synopsis, but I am delighted these stories have reached, at least some, Italian readers.
Mr Sheehan is an Irish writer who has written a number of excellent books on a variety of subjects. I think he is extremely good, but I am probably biased because of his wonderful book on the Destruction of inner city Dublin. I am quite happy to praise this collection of stories and for anyone put off by the 'historical' shelving let me assure you his use of 'historical' settings is only to bring out more clearly what he thinks is important. In one case his 'historical' setting is almost prescient.
In 'The Sack' Sheehan has written a horrifying tale set in the Peloponnese in the immediate aftermath of WWII but it could have been set at anytime in the history of the Balkans in the twentieth century as political changes turn neighbors into first strangers then enemies. What he couldn't have known when this story appeared in 1983 was that he was writing about the future as well. Barely a dozen years later the events of this story were the commonplace of the nightly news as the collapse of the Soviet Union and it's satellite communist regimes allowed horrors not seen since WWII to flower and spread with a strength and rapidity that was breath taking.
There is a wit and intelligence to these stories which is beautiful in its depth. 'The Boy With an Injured Eye' is like 'The Sack', though in a totally different way, about sight but although it appears at first to be a story about the curing of injured sight it develops into an exploration of seeing and learning what it is important to see and recognise.
A truly remarkable little collection of stories, only 135 pages, which I will read again and a reminder of how much really fine writing is out there waiting to be discovered.
Mr Sheehan is an Irish writer who has written a number of excellent books on a variety of subjects. I think he is extremely good, but I am probably biased because of his wonderful book on the Destruction of inner city Dublin. I am quite happy to praise this collection of stories and for anyone put off by the 'historical' shelving let me assure you his use of 'historical' settings is only to bring out more clearly what he thinks is important. In one case his 'historical' setting is almost prescient.
In 'The Sack' Sheehan has written a horrifying tale set in the Peloponnese in the immediate aftermath of WWII but it could have been set at anytime in the history of the Balkans in the twentieth century as political changes turn neighbors into first strangers then enemies. What he couldn't have known when this story appeared in 1983 was that he was writing about the future as well. Barely a dozen years later the events of this story were the commonplace of the nightly news as the collapse of the Soviet Union and it's satellite communist regimes allowed horrors not seen since WWII to flower and spread with a strength and rapidity that was breath taking.
There is a wit and intelligence to these stories which is beautiful in its depth. 'The Boy With an Injured Eye' is like 'The Sack', though in a totally different way, about sight but although it appears at first to be a story about the curing of injured sight it develops into an exploration of seeing and learning what it is important to see and recognise.
A truly remarkable little collection of stories, only 135 pages, which I will read again and a reminder of how much really fine writing is out there waiting to be discovered.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review