Category: Books

An inspiring philosopher for our times

Jim Noonan OCD The Eighth Day, selected writings of Christian Bobin translated by Pauline Matarasso (Darton, Longman & Todd, £12.99) An inspirational French author, Christian Bobin is a prolific writer, producing over 50 books, in more than 30 years, and has been a bestseller (his books have sold over 200,000 copies per edition) in France for many…

Irish rankers in the Great War

Fighting Irish: The Irish Regiments in the First World War by Gavin Hughes (Merrion Press, €19.00pb, €65.00hb) This is an account of the Irishmen who fought in the ranks of the British army in World War I. The narrative includes descriptions of some of the killing fields of that horrendous war. Most of the Irish served…

World of Books

Silence and Thomas Merton The Powerball Lottery in the USA has been much in the news recently, partly because of the huge prize on offer to the lucky winner, or it seems, winners: $1.6 billion. Just think of that in terms of aid for famine and flood victims. What could an individual not do with…

A century of poetic voices

John Wyse Jackson Windharp: Poems of Ireland since 1916 edited by Niall MacMonagle (Penguin Ireland, £20.00hb) A plethora of poetry anthologies has appeared in Ireland over the last few years. This latest one takes as its starting point the date of our nation’s foundation myth, 1916. Its editor, a teacher and broadcaster, is an old hand at…

The tarnished greatness of Archbishop Mannix

The Real Archbishop Mannix from the Sources by James Franklin, Gerald O. Nolan and Michael Gilchrist (Connorcourt Publishing, AUS$29.95) Twelve biographies of Archbishop Daniel Mannix have already been published. They range from the hagiographic to the critical. The authors justify this addition to the list on the grounds that it is an account of Mannix based…

Four paths to the truth of life

The Four Gospels: Following in the Footsteps of Jesus by Maurice Hogan SSC (Veritas, €14.99) This interesting book on the four Gospels seems to have grown directly out of the author’s own experiences. Fr Maurice Hogan is a Columban Father. After he was ordained, back in 1965, he went out to the Far East, working…

Recent books in brief

Tidings of Comfort and Joy: A Christmas Feast of Faith and Fun by Pam Rhodes (Hodder & Stoughton, £14.99) Pam Rhodes will be familiar to many as the presenter of that ever popular BBC offering Songs of Praise. This selection of hymns, poems and thoughts was intended for Christmas, but then Christmas is not just…

Padre Pio, the people’s saint

Padre Pio of Pietrelcina: a brief biography by Fr Francesco Napolitano (Columba Press, €14.99) Padre Pio was canonised by Pope John Paul II on June 16, 2002, to the great delight of his many devotees around the world, especially here in Ireland. Francesco Forgione, the new saint, was born in the village of Pietrelcina, near…

The world of books

The ghosts of Lafcadio Hearn The Little Museum of Dublin has been running an exhibition devoted to Lafcadio Hearn, “the writer on Japan”, as the reference books once used to say. The revival of interest in Hearn in Ireland has been due to the enthusiasm of former ambassador Paul Murray, who through his biography of…