Singular Country

Singular Country Synopsis

A new and original work from "e;one of the most accomplished and original writers of our time"e;, Joseph Heller. A Singular Country is J.P. Donleavy's idiosyncratic and personal view of Ireland told in the vernacular of the Irishman, which he has nearly, but not quite, become. "e;A country where the dead are forever living and which is at once magical, illogical, mysterious and infuriating -- a land that is mostly, and perhaps always will remain, a condition of the mind in which dreams can be your only trusted reality"e;.

The New York City-born author assumed the right to speak of his adopted country from his own struggles and early turmoils within its shores and from his "e;descent on both parental sides from ancient bog-trotters traceable as far back into the centuries as anyone can record or remember"e;. J.P. Donleavy brings to vivid life the range of Ireland's people, from the small farmer to the landed aristocrat, from the Anglo-Irish in their crumbling mansions to the "e;gombeen-men erecting their emporiums of vulgarity"e;.

Priests, politicians, saints, scholars -- none escape his pointed pen. Modern Ireland is unveiled with a mixture of genius and hilarity that only Donleavy can muster. Complemented by the black and white photography of Patrick Prendergast.