For St. Patrick's Day

"Irish writers tell stories differently..."
~Edna O'Brien

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, Open Road Integrated Media provided this gorgeous, short video, Authors on Ireland, which features several famous authors, Edna O'Brien, Joseph Caldwell, Ken Bruen, and T.J. English.  After viewing this, I'm ready to pack my bag for a trip to Ireland! 

Additionally, March is Irish-American Heritage Month, and Irish Short Story Month on Mel's blog, The Reading Life.  In the past, I've reviewed short stories by Irish writers for this event, such as A Journey by Edna O'Brien.  I hope to participate again this year.

St. Patrick,
St. Benin Church, Ireland,
courtesy of Wikipedia

A Short Irish Toast

May your mornings bring joy 
and your evenings bring peace 
May your troubles grow less 
as your blessings increase!

Celebrating Labor Day

James Salter, Patricia Bosworth, David Corbett, Susan Dunlap, Edna O'Brien, Peter Blauner, and Luis Rodriguez. How did these well-known authors make ends meet before they became successful? Open Road Integrated Media sent me this short video in time for Labor Day.

Wishing all of my readers a safe and relaxing weekend!  Hopefully, there will be time to read, write, and reflect.

Really Random Tuesday #44: Edna O'Brien, Ebooks and Quotes

It's been ages since I posted a Really Random Tuesday post! Since I have some book-related news, I thought it was time for a new one.

Open Road, a digital publisher and multimedia content company based in NY, contacted me about the ebook publication of two titles by award-winning Irish author Edna O’Brien, August is a Wicked Month, a novel, and The Love Object, her first collection of short fiction.  Her work revolves around the innermost thoughts and feelings of women,  and their difficulties with men and with society as a whole.  Last year, I reviewed Edna O'Brien's short story, A Journey, for Irish Short Story Week (hosted by Mel from The Reading Life) so I've sampled her short fiction.  I'm eager to read her novel,  August is a Wicked Month, which The New York Times called  “a serious and moving piece of work.”

 

A few quotes from Edna O'Brien:

“Writers are always anxious, always on the run--from the telephone, from responsibilities, from the distractions of the world.”

“When anyone asks me about the Irish character, I say look at the trees. Maimed, stark and misshapen, but ferociously tenacious.” 

"They used to ban my books, but now when I go there, people are courteous to my face, though rather slanderous behind my back. Then again, Ireland has changed. There are a lot of young people who are irreligious, or less religious. Ironically, they wouldn't be interested in my early books - they would think them gauche. They are aping English and American mores. If I went to a dance hall in Dublin now I would feel as alien as in a disco in Oklahoma."
~ Edna O'Brien, Writers at Work, ed. George Plimpton, 1986

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I don't have any book winners to announce, and I'm not hosting any new book giveaways right now, but I have some links to exciting giveaways hosted by other book bloggers on the right side of my blog, so please take a look if you're interested.  To enter these giveaways, simply click on the book covers.

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of.  If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog.  For other Really Random Tuesday posts, please visit Naida's blog, the bookworm, and Vivienne's blog, Serendipity Reviews.  Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post.  Thanks for reading!

A Journey

Travel is frequently a foray into the unknown, at least in part. During a recent short trip to NY, I had to be flexible and go with the flow; in doing so, I experienced the present to a greater extent than I do in my everyday life. When it comes to travel, I'm a planner, and I do think ahead (I was diligent about printing out boarding passes within 24 hours of my departures), but I do not plan every single detail, because freedom and spontaneity are also important parts of travel. Having too rigid of a schedule, in travel (or in life), does not appeal much to me.

In the short story A Journey by Irish author Edna O'Brien (born December 15, 1930, in Twamgraney, County Clare, Ireland), a couple takes a journey together; travel is also a metaphor for the unknown. The main character is a woman who's taking a trip with an attractive man, Boyce (who lives with a woman, Madge, and their baby).

"To venture loving him was like crossing the Rubicon--also daft. Also dicey. A journey of pain. She had no idea then how extensive the journey would be."
~A Journey, Edna O'Brien

The story sensitively highlights the woman's thoughts about the situation; she's quite aware of her precarious position. Boyce wants his travel companion to remain a secret (she is unnamed in the story) as they travel from London to Scotland. Along with the heady excitement of the attraction is a feeling of marked uneasiness; the affair has just started and she questions the man's dedication to her, and to the woman he lives with and their young child as well. Boyce makes it clear that their romance must be kept clandestine, at least for the time being, and offers no promises for the future.

Edna O'Brien realistically portrays a scenario in which a woman's internal monologue expresses the numerous, inherent difficulties of the situation created by her impulsive choices; she is anxious and worries about a future with Boyce which may not be so rosy, which may not even exist. The author captures the angst of this couple, particularly of the woman, and this journey causes her a great deal of insecurity, understandably so. A Journey demonstrates Edna O'Brien's incredible ability to capture the emotions, inner voice, and thoughts of a woman.

I read this short story in the book Women & Fiction: Short Stories by and about Women, edited by Susan Cahill, for Irish Short Story Week, hosted by Mel from The Reading Life. Happy St. Patrick's Day to my readers!