Irish Short Story Week One-A Salute to the Particpants

My first and last words on Irish Short Story Week I will be an expression of thanks to all those who participated.    A total of 57  Irish Short Stories were posted on during the nine day week.    My list of participants is in random order.    If I left somehow out it is an oversight and please let me know.

1. Amateur  Reader of Wuthering Expectations posted on six stories including works by George Moore, James Stephens,  and Flan O'Brien.    As  always, his post was very edifying.
2. JoAnn of Lake Side Musings  did a very insightfull post on "Eveline", one of the stories from James Joyce's Dubliners.    JoAnn has added a lot to my TBR lists with her posts  over the last 1.5 years and she always has a beautiful lake side picture in her header.
3. Helen of She Reads Novels read "Laura Silver Bell"  by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, author of Carmilla. Helen really liked the atmosphere of the story and goes deeply into the supernatural roots of the work. Helen loves to read 19th century fiction and also posts on a lot of classic short stories.    Le Fanu was one of my "discoveries" for the week.  
4. Jillian of Jillian is Reading  read James Joyce's "Ivy Day in the Committee Room".  I think it might have been her first time to read Joyce.     She felt it was beautifully written and packed with the history of Ireland.    Jillian has recently begun to  move away from reading mass market books into the classics.   Her posts are very insightful and I love her passion for reading.
5. Em of C'est la vie posted on a story by Edna O'Brien,  "Irish Revel".   The story is a harsh look at a society driven by drink and close mindedness.   Em  lives in Ireland and her blog is about books but also about a lot of other topics that interest her.   I am an avid follower of her blog.
6. Risa of Bread Crumb Reads read Bram Stoker's "Dracula's Guest".    She loved it for its scary feel and the wonderful writing.    Risa is from India, is a teacher, and reads a wide variety of works.    I agree with her when she says the story is a good way to try out Stoker before you decide if you want to try Dracula.
7. Winston's Dad of Winstonsdad posted on a collection of short stories by William Trevor, Cheating at Canasta.   Trevor  is for sure the "dean" of the current Irish Short Story writers and is considered by many the best living writer of short stories.   Winston's Dad says the collection can be said to be about cheating.    Most of the characters are people on the margins.    Winston's Dad reads a wide diversity of works and I am always happy to read one of his posts.
8. Stephanie of The Conscientious Reader did a great post on seven stories.   I was so happy when I realized she had the brilliance to realize that Jonathan Swift"s "A Modest Proposal" was really a short story about a man giving his ideas how to solve a problem, not just one of the best satires ever written.   In addition to Swift she also posted on Joyce, Enright,  Stoker, O'Connor and two new to me writers. Her blog is not just about books.    She recently posted a delicious looking recipe.   Additionally she created beautiful badge for the event.
9. Suko of Suko's List was one of three people, including me, who posted on a story by Edna O'Brien.   Suko posted on "A Journey", an account of the feelings of a woman as she begins a trip with a man she is have a clandestine affair with.     Suko was taken by O'Brien's uncanny ability to capture the interior life of the woman.   Suko's  blog was one of the first  I began to follow when I first discovered  the world of book blogs, about two years ago.    Her blog is a work of art, a great blending of content and design.
10. Darlyn of Your Move Dickens read her first work by Oscar Wilde, "The Nightingale and the Rose" and liked it so much hopes to read Portrait of Dorian Gray soon.   I  am happy another blogger based in the Philippines as I am joined in the event.
11. The Listener at Free Listens  posted on two classic stories,   "My Oedipus Complex" by Frank O'Conner and "The Dead" by James Joyce.     He listened to both of them on podcasts.   I found I new world opening up to me through looking at all of the short stories and longer works one can here or down load.   Often the readers are trained professionals and do a beautiful job.    There are lots of great listening options on his blog.    Podcasts are kind of a new world for me but I am getting into it and will be following his blog for great tips.
12. Ashley of Short Story Slore read her first Oscar Wilde, "The Centerville Ghost".     I listened to this as a podcast.   Like Ashley I thought it was funny in some place and dragged on a bit in others.   At first I enjoyed the mocking of Americans then it just seem to be a cliche.   Ashley has a real passion for the short story and I expect to learn a lot from her as I follow her blog.
13. Ds  of   Third Story Window    posted on a collection of short stories by Claire Keegan,  Walk the Blue Fields.   I want to quote from her post as what she says is very powerful:  "It has been difficult to think about leprechauns and pots of gold, shamrocks, and fairy circles this week; hard to find something engrossing enough to take one away from thoughts of global disaster. But I did. It is a small volume that I brought back from Ireland last fall--books being my favorite souvenirs--a collection of short stories by a young woman who has won nearly every major Irish literary prize, and whose first book was a Los Angeles Times Book of the Year.     Her name is Claire Keegan and I had never heard of her.   Now, I will not forget it her."      I always am very glad to see she has posted something new on her blog.                             
14. Dragonflyy419 of Dragonflyy419 Attempts to Combat Boredom  was a great participant.  They posted on five classic stories by Wilde, Le Fanu,   Maria Edgeworth ,   Frank O'Connor, and Brendan Behan.     I think we both shared a great fondness for Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's powerful story "The Child Who Was Stolen by Fairies".    All of their posts were very well done and showed a lot of insight.    I could not have asked for a better participant in Irish Short Story week than Dragonflyy419.
15. Life Time Reader of Life Time Reading Plan and I  have both been strongly influenced in our reading by Clifton Fadiman.     I greatly admire her plan to read through the classics in historical order.  I am glad she took time out to read "Oh Madam" by Elizabeth Bowen for week.    I love this story about a woman and her maid walking through a house nearly wrecked in the Blitz in London in WWII and so did Life Time Reader.    Her post is very insightful and beautifully written and increased my understanding of this story.

"Mel says I am now a permanent part
of the Reading Life"-Carmilla

Thanks again to all the participants-Providence willing, Irish Short Story Week II will start March 11, 2o12.   I will hopefully be better organized and better informed about the Irish Short Story by then!     I will keep this post in a permanent page for future references.   

"See you next March!"-Rory O'Hallrahan

Mel u