Biography of one of Ireland's most popular authors of children's books - a warm portrait of a gifted and complex writer who is a key figure in Irish literary history.
How many Irish authors books are still in print 50 years after their publication? How many Irish authors work has been published and translated across the globe? How many Irish authors have written over 50 books and had their work illustrated by Jack B Yeats, Sean Keating and Harry Kernoff amongst others? How many writers were left in the care of a seanchaí or spent their schooling in London, Scotland and Belgium? The answer is one: Patricia Lynch, suffragette, nationalist and storyteller.
In this, the first full biography of Patricia Lynch, Phil Young discusses the author s life and work, shedding light on her relationship with her family and her husband, R. M. Fox, on her dealings with her various publishers, and on the creation of her many books. Patricia Lynch is arguably the finest children's author Ireland has ever produced. Perhaps because she was a writer of children's literature or perhaps because she was a woman, she has been largely overlooked and underappreciated in the past - but her story is remarkable, as Phil Young lovingly outlines.
As a child at the turn of the 20th century she would live in the care of a seanchaí, travel and be educated in Bruges, London and Scotland - while her mother and brother travelled in search of the fortune believed to have been left by Patricia's father on his death in Egypt. Often alone and a ceaseless reader, her exposure to new books and writers, particularly E.M. Nesbit, added to the numerous fantastic tales spun by her earlier seanchaí foster mother.
In her early twenties she worked as a journalist in London and became involved and friendly with prominent members of the suffragette movement - one of its leaders Sylvia Pankhurst sent her to Dublin to conduct an eyewitness report on the 1916 Rising for the suffragette journal. Indeed, W. B. Yeats described her reporting on the Rising as the first account of the insurrection from an Irish perspective. She would also visit Countess Markievicz in prison in London later.
Following her marriage to the socialist author Richard M Fox 1922, they settled in Dublin. Lynch then went on to become a prolific and world-renowned writer of children s fiction. Her many books - including classics such as The Turf-Cutter's Donkey with its beautiful illustrations by Jack Yeats, or the Brogeen series, dramatised by Frank Kelly for RTÉ - won her legions of fans and continue to appeal to children today for their rich evocation of a more innocent time.
Lynch also played a leading role in literary life in both Ireland and Britain. She was on friendly terms with many artists and thinkers of her day, including George Russell, who championed her work, and Maud Gonne.
About the author: Phil Young is a native of Dunmanway in west Cork and now lives in Dublin. She graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, with an MPhil in Anglo-Irish literature, has had a number of short stories and articles published in various magazines and has featured on the RTÉ radio programme Sunday Miscellany .
ISBN: 0954533593
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