St. Patrick's Day: A celebration of Irish literature
(CBS) - Along with enjoying pints of Guinness and generous helpings of shepherd's pie this St. Patrick's Day, pay tribute to Irish culture by turning your thoughts to the great literary works by Ireland's world-famous writers.
Since Jonathan Swift wrote "Gulliver's Travels" in the manse of Dublin church, the Emerald Isle has been home to some of the greatest English-language storytellers.
Pictures: St. Patrick's Day 2010
Pictures: Green for a day, 2011
Among their rank are short story writer Brendan Behan, novelist Bram Stoker ("Dracula"), playwrights J.M. Synge ("The Playboy of the Western World"), Sean O'Casey ("Juno and the Paycock," and Oscar Wilde ("The Importance of Being Earnest"). This doesn't include the four Nobel Prize winners: poet sW. B. Yeats ("Easter 1916"), who won in 1923, and Seamus Heaney ("The Government of the Tongue'), who took the 1995 prize; and playwrights George Bernard Shaw ("Major Barbara") who won the 1925 prize, and Samuel Beckett ("Waiting for Godot"), who won in 1969.
The most famous Irish writer of all, however, never won a Nobel. James Joyce, who many believe is the equal of Shakespeare, wrote from self-imposed exile in France but always about his native land. His famous works include, "Ulysses," "Finnegan's Wake," "Dubliners," a collection of short stories, and "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," a quasi autobiographical novella.
A few contemporary Irish authors have also made an impact on the literary landscape, including John McGahern ("Amongst Women," "That They May Face the Rising Sun"), who was dubbed by the UK's Observer as "the greatest living Irish novelist" before his death in 2006, and Colm Toibin, whose most recent novel, "The Empty Family," has garnered positive reviews.
Frank McCourt ("Angela's Ashes," "'Tis"), Roddy Doyle ("The Commitments," "The Woman Who Walked into Doors") and Maeve Binchey who wrote "Heart and Soul" and "Circle of Friends," which was made into a movie starring Minnie Driver, are other Irish writers worthy of praise.
Tell us in the comments below who is your favorite Irish author.