Happy (Irish) Women's History Month!

For this Women’s History Month (and this post roughly coinciding with St. Patrick’s Day), we are bringing a handful of female authors/artists with connections to the Emerald Isle to you. Some of these authors you may know and some you may not. With this little list we tried to get a variety of formats that include fiction short story, non-fiction, and graphic novel. With such a wide spread, hopefully we can find something that’ll interest everyone.

The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen

This novel takes places during the interwar period in Paris, France. The story takes place over the period of a single day in the lives of two children within the titular House in Paris. Much like Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, the narrative is grounded in realism by showing a slice of life for these two children. It is not an escape into fantasy, but rather a transportation to another’s lived-in existence. You may not find a lot of frills, but you will find complexities of human nature that will ring true with your own life. 

Country Girl: A Memoir by Edna O’Brien

This book is written by an author who could’ve appeared on this list with any number of the novels or short stories that she has written. But instead, we choose to highlight the author herself and her own personal experiences within and outside of the literary world. While it is easy to know an author by their works, we oftentimes never get to know the author as they are themselves. This memoir is a chance to peek behind the curtain and see what life is like for someone who has created so many fictional lives for us to get lost inside. 

Milkman by Anna Burns

This book is actually set in Ireland and won a lot of praise for its author. Taking place during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, we see what life was like for a teenage girl who feels hemmed in on all sides by her circumstances. While it feels like much of the story’s action is beyond her control, the main character shows a resilience and will to live life on her own terms that is inspiring. 

Happiness and Other Stories by Mary Lavin

This collection of stories offers a bit of escapism to a world that exists only in our idealized memories of the past. Mary Lavin may not have the name recognition that she once had, but that does not mean that her stories have lost any of their potency. If you’re looking to rescue a book from obscurity, then look no further. These stories are short enough to get through them easily, but also enjoyable enough that you will be checking the library catalog to see what else she may have written. Take a step outside the Classics and give contemporary literature a chance to percolate a minute longer while you relish in this collection of short stories.

What We Don't Talk About by Charlot Kristensen

This book is written and illustrated by a Danish/Zimbabwean author based in Dublin, Ireland. The story follows an interracial couple trying to navigate life in a world that prioritizes sameness. Kristensen has created characters that have to face a world that is uncomfortable with, if not hostile to, them being together. It is a unique gift that the author is also the artist and has given us the ability to not only read the story as she imagined it in her head, but to also see her vision for the characters and the world they inhabit.

Through the Embers of Chaos: Balkan Journeys by Dervla Murphy

This book opens up a world that many of us may not remember and certainly few of us have ever seen. Murphy documents her travels via bicycle through the Balkan states as they recover from the years of violence that had dominated the region. While it is a documentation of her travels, it is also a reminder of the human spirit’s ability to rise from the rubble and extend goodwill to strangers.

 

All of the above-mentioned books are available at the Worcester Public Library and can be requested online or picked up in the library. If none of these books quite tickled your fancy, or you’d like more recommendations like these, you can fill out our book recommendation form. One of our librarians will curate a list of books for you according to your interests. The more information you give us, the easier it will be to home in on what you really want. Happy Reading!