THE GIANTS OF IRISH LITERATURE Wilde, Yeats, Joyce, and Beckett

In these 14 lectures George O'Brien combines scholarly knowledge of Ireland and its literature with evident affection. He lays the foundation for his discussion in the first lecture, focusing on the social and political history of Ireland in the decades before Wilde began writing, then returns to elements of those movements throughout his detailed discussions of Ireland's greatest writers. O'Brien mentions having learned about Irish literature at his mother's knee; this organic connection to his subject matter comes through. He recites lines from Yeats lovingly, explains Joycean in-jokes smoothly, and moves from subject to subject with seeming spontaneity. Some lectures end a bit abruptly, but the content of each is superior, and O'Brien discusses plays, poetry, and fiction with equal ease. G.T.B. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 06/ JAN 07]