Nick Page is the author of some 70 popular books in the area of religion, written from a quirky Protestant point of view. This is suggested by his subtitle: “Commemorating 500 years of Popes, Protestants, reformers, radicals and other assorted irritants”. He begins by pointing out that the first historian of the Reformation, a servant…
The Hopkins Festival will be opened tomorrow by the British Ambassador, H.E. Robin Barnett in Newbridge College Theatre, Co. Kildare (at 7.30pm). Directed by poet Desmond Egan, who founded it 30 years ago, it celebrates the life and work of the Jesuit poet Gerald Manley Hopkins, now recognised as one of the great literary figures…
In the hallway of Clongowes Wood Castle there stands a white marble statue of St Ignatius Loyola. To the mind of at least one small boy it had a pale ghostly appearance, little suggesting a living person, and certainly not the vivid vitality of Ignatius himself. In his book Brendan Comerford aims to reveal the…
Dublin prides itself of being “a city of literature” – there are UNESCO signs all over the place promoting the fact. But when we look back over the centuries we can see that the city’s true life in literature only begins with Jonathan Swift, the 350th anniversary of whose birth we are celebrating this year.…
Best-Loved Joyce written by James Joyce with an introduction by Bob Joyce. Edited by Jamie O’Connell (O’Brien Press, €12.99) Joyce Unplugged by Anthony J. Jordan (West Books, €15.00) Tomorrow, during the now ever-expanding festivities recalling the day in 1904 on which James Joyce’s Ulysses is set, will see a host of events of all kinds for…
The world of books The present controversy over state prosecutions for blasphemy has raised once again unresolved issues concerning our libel laws, issues which really need to be settled once and for all. On the matter of blasphemy, the law has nothing to do with the Christian Churches, but is rather an attempt to mollify…
The Art of John Piper, by David Fraser Jenkins and Hugh Fowler-Wright foreword by Luke Piper (Unicorn and The Portland Gallery, £45.00) John Piper is, I suspect, a name unfamiliar to many readers, but he is certainly among the finest artists of the 20th Century in these islands, and moreover one of the few artists…
In the century since the events on the plateau near the village of Fatima a multitude of books have been published dealing with the apparitions, and the coming century will undoubtedly bring many more. But many of these books merely provide summaries and comments, rather than new information. Many of the commentaries are couched in…
The World of Books There is an old saying that one should not judge a book by its cover. But that is exactly what I propose to do. Or rather to judge the publishers and promoters of the volume, rather than the author of the text. That will be left to another hand. The book…
Ordinary People: Dennis Dinneen’s Photographs at the Douglas Hyde Gallery Denis Dinneen: Small Town Portraits text by Kevin Barry, with 32 monochrome plates (Douglas Hyde Gallery, €10.00pb) Dennis Dinneen (1927–1985) earned his living as a publican and taxi driver in Macroom, Co. Cork. But as a side line he also acted as a local photographer,…