Dermot Bolger is an Irish novelist whose work often addresses the experiences of working-class characters who feel alienated from society. He critically examines the relevance of traditional nationalist concepts of Irishness, advocating for a more pluralistic and inclusive society. Bolger's writing delves into the search for identity and belonging in the modern world, giving voice to those often overlooked.
This is Dermot Bolger's latest poetry collection. Every night during a year of the recent Covid 19 lockdown Bolger took long walks through the streets of Dublin. During these walks he allowed his imagination free rein and these resulting poems revisit central events during his life and also reflect upon the lives of others.
The groundbreaking first modern novel to address the scandal of Irish Magdalene laundries when it was first published.
Dermot Bolger's superb new novella explores what changes in the human condition and what remains inalterably enduring.
A spellbinding novel based on a real-life rescue in 1943, when the crew of a neutral Irish ship rescued 168 drowning German sailors. A story of romance and war, where every experience is intense and dangerous.
A modernist novel of supreme stylistic innovation, this work is a towering achievement of twentieth-century literature. The narrative unfolds over a single day in Dublin, focusing on Leopold Bloom, his friends Buck Mulligan and Stephen Dedalus, and his wife Molly, among a vibrant cast of characters. Written between 1914 and 1921, it has withstood bowdlerization, legal challenges, and controversy. Joyce blends Celtic lyricism with raw vulgarity, showcasing ceaseless verbal inventiveness and a wide array of allusions, establishing it as a monumental exploration of the human condition. Declan Kiberd notes that it serves as "an endlessly open book of utopian epiphanies," reflecting on Dublin's colonial past while offering glimpses of a potentially redemptive future. This edition presents the standard text first published in 1960. Joyce, born in Dublin in 1882, left for Paris at twenty, rebelling against his upbringing. Though he returned briefly to Ireland, Dublin remained central to his major works. He lived in poverty for much of his life, facing personal challenges, including his daughter's mental illness. If you appreciated this novel, you might also enjoy Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, available in Penguin Classics.
A stunning historical saga set in the early decades of the twentieth century which follows the lives and loves of one extraordinary family.
Written by a master story-teller, Tanglewood grows into an incisive dissection of Ireland in 2007, when - although these characters are unaware of it - the Celtic Tiger edifice is quietly imploding.
Seven of Irelands most accomplished female writers have crafted between them this delightfully entertaining novel. Featuring authors Maeve Binchy and Deirdre Purcell.
A marriage and a family reach breaking point on an annual holiday in the loveliest hotel in Ireland. Dermot Bolger is one of the leading figures on the Irish literary scene. Very influential, amazingly energetic and prolific, popular and extremely well respected. Dermot writes fast-paced, incredibly readable novels, usually with a thriller element, always about Ireland, more often than not about its Troubles. 'Temptation, is quite different. It is about family life. It describes five days in the lives of Alison, her husband Peadar and their three children, who are taking their annual holiday on the southeastern coast of Ireland. Each member of the family has his or her own hopes for the holiday and preoccupations about the lives they are briefly leaving behind. The holiday serves as a turning point in their lives, as Alison and Peadar,s marriage is put to the test and the vulnerabilities of their children are brought to the fore. Previous novels have always featured a female central character, and Dermot seems to love writing from a female perspective - and very good he is at it too. This new novel takes this strength and makes the most of it. Paciness and great readability are packed in there too.
