Photo de l'auteur

Mervyn Wall (1908–1997)

Auteur de The Unfortunate Fursey

11+ oeuvres 185 utilisateurs 3 critiques

Séries

Œuvres de Mervyn Wall

The Unfortunate Fursey (1946) 87 exemplaires
The Return of Fursey (1948) 29 exemplaires
Leaves for the Burning (1952) 23 exemplaires
A Flutter of Wings (1974) 12 exemplaires
NO TROPHIES RAISE. (1956) 4 exemplaires
Hermitage (1982) 2 exemplaires
Forty foot gentlemen only (1962) 2 exemplaires
Garden of Echoes (1988) 2 exemplaires

Oeuvres associées

The Penguin Book of Irish Short Stories (1981) — Contributeur — 132 exemplaires
Great Irish Tales of Fantasy and Myth (1994) — Contributeur — 108 exemplaires
The Penguin Book of Irish Comic Writing (1996) — Auteur, quelques éditions26 exemplaires

Étiqueté

Partage des connaissances

Date de naissance
1908
Date de décès
1997
Sexe
male
Nationalité
Ireland
Lieu de naissance
Dublin, Ireland
Lieux de résidence
Dublin, Ireland
Études
Belvedere College, Dublin
Professions
novelist
short story writer
playwright
civil servant

Membres

Critiques

This book follows the life of Lucian Brewse Burke for a few weeks following his writing a letter to the local paper criticising the County Council's decision to demolish an old castle in the small town where he works as clerk in the County Council Sub-office. Lucian has a master's degree in Greek and has ended up working for the last ten years in this small rural town where he feels lonely and where he has no connection with the people of the town or its hinterland. His letter not only gets him in trouble with his County Council superiors, but also with the local population. The castle was viewed locally as a symbol of British oppression and Lucien, in his plea for its preservation, has put him on the receiving end of disquiet from the local people who were mostly involved in The War of Independence which was waged to remove British rule.

Mervyn Wall writes very humorously about serious matters, and the first half of the book is very funny as it describes the actions of various people in the small town of Barretstown and the local County Seat, Moymell, where the County Manager and the County Council Chairman, a senator in the government, hold court and manipulate the politics of the surrounding area. There are many humorous episodes and situations that would today be identified as corrupt, outdated, and having the smell of nepotism. This was the way of things in post-revolutionary Ireland.

The middle of the book brings us to a darker side of life and the reader is presented with moral dilemma after moral dilemma. Also, the characters in the story begin to question their own values and to dwell on the past of twenty years ago when they had dreams and felt in control of their own destinies. Much of what was wrong in the country of the time is brought to the surface, and its impact on individuals is discussed and analysed.

The position of women is highlighted in the book. I will say no more on this subject as to do so would give away a key element of the plot.

While Lucian is a forty-three year old man the story is very much a coming of age tale. The adventures that follow his writing the letter in defence of the castle lead him on a journey of self-discovery.

Would I read more work by this author?
Most definitely yes!

Would I recommend this book?
Yes.

What sort of person would I recommend ti to?
Anyone who enjoys humour, and who likes looking at real socio-political situations through a correcting lens that reveals the reality of those situations.

Has this book inspired me to do anything?
I am inspired to read more Irish history of the time the story was set.
… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
pgmcc | Mar 22, 2022 |
Weird book, strangely charming
 
Signalé
Nannus | 1 autre critique | Jan 17, 2022 |
A priest and the devil go at it in this funny (although some of the humor has worn thin over the years) book of adventures in religion-dominated rural Ireland.
 
Signalé
JPWyatt | 1 autre critique | Jan 21, 2007 |

Listes

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Statistiques

Œuvres
11
Aussi par
3
Membres
185
Popularité
#117,260
Évaluation
½ 3.6
Critiques
3
ISBN
23
Langues
1

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