McGahern, John

New York. 1964. Macmillan. 1st American Edition. Very Good in Slightly Worn Dustjacket With Some Tears and Small Pieces Missing. 1st Novel. 232 pages. hardcover. Jacket design by Ellen Raskin. keywords: Literature Ireland. FROM THE PUBLISHER - When this first novel by a young Irish writer was published in London last year, it brought forth a chorus of praise from every leading literary publication. In his native Ireland, John McGahern has been hailed by both Frank O'Connor and Mary Lavin, perhaps the two most famous Irish writers of today. A section of The Barracks, published in an Irish literary magazine, received the coveted AE Memorial Award, the first piece of fiction ever to be so honored. Moving between tragedy and savage comedy, The Barracks has a haunting power. John McGahern reveals a rare insight into the mind and heart of the people about whom he writes. In particular, the portrait of Elizabeth Reegan, a woman racked by a troubled conscience and mortal illness, is drawn with a sensitivity and understanding encountered only in the pages of the great novelists. The Barracks heralds the launching of what should certainly be a major career in the contemporary world of letters. His themes are evoked with a scrupuIous yet enhancing accuracy that reminds one of the young James Joyce. John McGahern is the real thing, and his development will be well worth watching.' - The Spectator, London. JOHN McGAHERN was born in Dublin in 1935 and was brought up in various parts of the west of Ireland. He attended St. Patrick's and University College, Dublin, and has worked in many places, including London. He is now living in Dublin. His first introduction to American readers was a short story published in The New Yorker in 1963. inventory #15281