Selected Writings of John V. Kelleher on Ireland a

Book excerpt: A collection of eighteen critical essays and twenty-six translations spanning the career of one of the found­ing intellects of Irish Studies, the Selected Writings of John V. Kelleher on Ireland and Irish America consists of five accessible sections. The first gathers Kelleher's essays on the most widely known Irish cultural phe­nomenon--the literary renaissance of the early twentieth century. Part two contains his judicious assessments of Irish literature in its post-Revolutionary phase. The third section includes Kelleher's in­sightful essays on the experience of the Irish in America. The fourth section contains essays that ex­amine early Irish literature and culture, opening with a benchmark essay for Irish Studies, "Early Irish His­tory and Pseudo-History," which was read at the inau­gural meeting of the American Conference for Irish Studies in 1961. The collection concludes with Kelleher's translations and adaptations of poems in Old, Middle, and Modern Irish, illustrating his com­mand of the language at every stage.