Ireland is known throughout the world for its rich and vibrant storytelling. Josie Gray is a proud inheritor of this tradition, a yarn-spinner whose evocative and authentic stories are steeped in the rural west of Ireland community to which he belongs. Beautifully crafted, subtly paced, and richly textured, Gray's stories vividly and affectionately bring to life a disparate cast of characters and recreate the fabric of their everyday lives. Disputes, laughter, courting, death, drink and general all-round skulduggery are the order of the day as Gray skilfully weaves together myth and fact, truth and near-truth. Captivated by these tales, acclaimed poet Tess Gallagher worked with Gray to give his oral stories written form. The result is a stunning collection that preserves the intimacy, melody and rhythm of Gray's voice.
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'This is a most unordinary kind of book. Josie Gray can tell stories. When he speaks about a dog, I would like to touch that dog. When he writes about a song, I would like to sing that song. This is what I call a good story.' --Haruki Murakami
'Gray and Gallagher collude and collogue to produce stories full of deadpan and deadly accurate wit.' --Ciaran Carson
'A remarkable evocation of the long dark winter nights in rural Ireland. An Ireland of rush lamps and candles, an Ireland of the storyteller, the seanchai, who held such an important place in the heart of the parish. Josie Gray has recaptured these humorous yet touching anecdotes with skill and sensitivity.' --Leland Bardwell
'Gray and Gallagher collude and collogue to produce stories full of deadpan and deadly accurate wit.' --Ciaran Carson
'A remarkable evocation of the long dark winter nights in rural Ireland. An Ireland of rush lamps and candles, an Ireland of the storyteller, the seanchai, who held such an important place in the heart of the parish. Josie Gray has recaptured these humorous yet touching anecdotes with skill and sensitivity.' --Leland Bardwell
About the Author
JOSIE GRAY was born on the shores of Lough Arrow and has lived in counties Waterford, Wexford and Sligo. He has worked as a fruit salesman, barman, farmer and rate collector, and in various family businesses, hauling turf, fruit, sand and gravel. He started painting in the mid-1990s and has exhibited in Ireland and the US. In his retirement he fishes, gardens, paints and tells the odd story.TESS GALLAGHER, poet, essayist, short-story and screen writer, was born in Washington State. She has published eight distinguished collections of poetry, including Dear Ghosts in 2007. She was encouraged by her late husband, Raymond Carver, to write short stories, which were published in The Lover of Horses (1986) and At the Owl Woman Saloon (1996).
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Funny, wise and fascinating
6 Jun 2008
By W. M. Sang
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
This is a collection of very short stories (sometimes only a few hundred words long) recounted by an old guy from County Sligo and massaged into written form. Some of them are mysterious, some of them very funny, some are wise and humane, and others simply offer little insights into a way of life rapidly vanishing. The whole thing will take you about 90 minutes to read, and I can't think of a better way to pass a train journey than this little gem.
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