We Seldom Talk About the Past
We Seldom Talk About the Past
by John MacKenna
Selected Short Stories
Paperback | ISBN: 9781848408036 | 368pp | Release Date: August 27th 2021
An artfully crafted selection of short stories by one of the great Irish masters of the form, accompanied by a new introduction from the author.
We Seldom Talk About the Past is the first selection of short stories from one of Ireland’s great masters of the form. Brought together from a writing career spanning over three decades, the deft and moving fictions in this collection are timeless.
Often compared to John McGahern and Raymond Carver, and deeply influenced by masters of the form such as Chekhov and Mary Lavin, MacKenna’s stories focus on the everyday truths of our lives; the immense significance of small moments, sexual desire and its intimate entanglement with the domestic, as well as acutely felt absences and overbearing social mores.
Always, at the heart of MacKenna’s work, is the deepest sense of place, of the land, and of the innate tuning of our lives to the times and regions we inhabit.
PRAISE FOR WE SELDOM TALK ABOUT THE PAST:
“Every single story in this anthology is a love song to the Irish landscape. MacKenna’s outstanding prose is as close to the great McGahern as you’ll get.”
“Placed together, these narratives tell a deeper story of what it means to be human....this is the art of the short story, and MacKenna is a master of his craft.”
“MacKenna has a way with the passive gut-punch.”
PRAISE FOR JOHN MACKENNA:
“John MacKenna’s short stories are a wonder. ”
“A consummately skilled author.”
JOHN MACKENNA is the author of twenty three books – novels, short-story collections, memoir, poetry and biography – and a number of radio and stage plays. He is a winner of The Irish Times, Hennessy and Cecil Day-Lewis Awards. He is also a winner of a Jacobs Radio award for his documentary series on Leonard Cohen and a Worldplay Silver Medal (New York) for his radio play The Woman at the Window (RTÉ Radio 1). He teaches Creative Writing at Maynooth University and at The Hedge School on the Moone.
“Rereading and selecting the fifteen stories for We Seldom Talk About the Past was an intriguing experience. In particular, revisiting some of the earlier stories made me wonder about the man who wrote them and how he has changed over the years. And then there were details in the writing that pleasantly surprised me. Being offered the opportunity by New Island to revisit and select was a real joy.”
Gratefully supported by the Arts Council of Ireland.
