Book description
Synge's topographical essays appear here in their original
newspaper and periodical publication form, taken from the Manchester
Guardian, The Gael and The Shanachie, complete with illustrations,
mostly by Jack B. Yeats. A substantial essay-introduction by Nicholas
Grene places his work in its historical context (1898-1908) and evokes
the man and his milieu. Synge's writings explore social, political and
aesthetic perspectives gained from his travels on the Atlantic
seaboard and among the Wicklow Hills. Eighteen of them concern the
Aran Islands and the west of Ireland of the Congested Districts, from
County Donegal down to Galway, describing famine relief projects,
ferrymen, kelp gatherers, boat-builders, peasant proprietors, small
shopkeepers, races and fairs. Nine deal with County Wicklow and West
Kerry, their vagrants, landlords and pastimes. Maps, photographs by
Synge, facsimile title-pages, and above all Jack Yeats' inimitable
drawings, embellish the text.
Nicholas Grene is Professor of English Literature at Trinity College,
Dublin. His previous works include critical studies of Shaw, Synge
(Interpreting Synge, 2000), and most recently Yeats (Yeats's Poetic
Codes, 2008).
