Helen Thompson

Caitriona Moloney

Bringing together the diverse and marvelously articulate voices of women of Irish and Irish-American descent, editors Caitriona Moloney and Helen Thompson examine the complicated maps of experience that the women's public, private, and literary lives represent—particularly as they engage in both feminism and postcolonialism. Acknowledging Mary Robinson's revised view of Irish identity—now global rather than local—this work recognizes the importance of identity as a site of mobility. The pieces reveal how complex the terms "feminism" and "postcolonialism" are; they examine how the individual writers see their identities constructed and/or mediated by sexuality. In addition, the book traces common themes of female agency, violence, generational conflicts, migration, emigration, religion, and politics to name a few. As it represents the next wave of Irish women writers, this book offers fresh insight into the work of emerging and established authors and will appeal to a new generation of readers.

Voices from the Field

Irish Women Writers Speak Out

Caitriona Moloney and Helen Thompson's interviews examine the complicated maps of experience that these women's public, private, and literary lives represent, particularly as they engage with both feminism and postcolonialism. Acknowledging Mary Robinson's revised view of Irish identity as global rather than insular, this work recognizes the importance of identity as a site of mobility. The interviews reveal how complex the terms "feminism" and "postcolonialism" are; they examine how the individual writers see their identities constructed and/or mediated by sexuality. Between the interviews, the authors trace common themes of female agency, violence, generational conflicts, migration, emigration, religion, and politics to name a few. The collection testifies to the lively and diverse nature of contemporary Irish women's literature, and it explodes myths about Irish women and Irishness in general.

Caitriona Moloney

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