Irish Short Story Month III
March 1 to March 31
Evelyn Conlon
Monaghan
Please consider joining us for the event. All you need to do is complete a post on any Irish Short Story or related matter and let me know about it. I will publicize your post and keep a master list. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.
"three short story people, already in love with the hurtful intimacy of that form.."
Evelyn Conlon is a new to me writer but the rest of the world has known and loved her work for a long time. One of the pleasures and frustration of the reading life is knowing there are so many great writers that you will die never having even heard of let alone read. I am glad I have read my first story by Evelyn Conlon.
Author Data
Evelyn Conlon was born in Monaghan in 1952.
Her collections of short stories are My Head is Opening (Attic Press, 1987); Taking Scarlet as a Real Colour (Dublin, Attic Press 1989); and Telling, New and Selected Stories (Belfast, The Blackstaff Press, 2000).
Her novels are Stars in the Daytime (Belfast, The Blackstaff Press/London, The Women’s Press, 1993); A Glassful of Letters (The Blackstaff Press, 1998); and Skin of Dreams (Dingle, Brandon Books, 2003).
She was awarded Arts Council bursaries in 1988 and 1995, and is a regular commentator on the arts. She is a member of Aosdána, and lives in Dublin.
"Telling" is a really interesting story set in a workshop in Ireland for new writers. The male presenter is considered on of the twelve best writers in Ireland. All of the participants in the workshop are women. One working on a novel, three short story people, one playwright and the rest poets. It was very interesting seeing how the workshop went and watching the various writers interact with the leader. The heart of "Telling" is in a story the writer tells the participants and which he wants them to develop in their forms. It is a very sad story about marital failure with a woman wanting to be a good mother but denied this by her brutal husband. The woman has a part time job in the post office and one day she gets an inheritance unexpectedly from an aunt. She knows it is her way to escape and that she has to keep it secret from her husband. The ending of the workshop leader's story is shocking. He tells the women "you can use it. I don't want it. Your story is in the wheaten meal and raisins". The group is enraged by the bitter story and the leader tells them "End of session" and walks out.
The last paragraph is really powerful, a master work of the art of the short story. I will leave it untold. I feel bad as it cannot be read online. I read it in The Anchor Book of New Irish Writing.
You can learn more about Evelyn Conlon on her webpage.
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