Top Irish Authors You Should Know

When it comes to the arts, the Irish people have made quite significant contributions. There are Irish authors whose works stand out globally due to the contributions they have made in the field. If you love reading, some of the top Irish authors that you should know about are:

W.B Yeats

Yeats is a celebrated author globally, and his work dates from the 1800s. He was a poet, and one of his notable works is titled: He Wishes for the Clothes of Heaven. It has been translated into many languages and is among the books that are being read in literature classes in different parts of Europe and even America. Yates was the first Irish author to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. His involvement in politics and the role he played in the establishment of Abbey which is still regarded as Ireland’s best theatre made him a household name. His literary works mostly revolved around life and love.

James Joyce

James Joyce’s style of writing is believed to have influenced a lot of writers in Ireland. His powerful works of fiction that was compiled in the globally acclaimed Ulysses still remains one of the most-read pieces in the world. Even though it was published in the early 1900s, Ulysses is still believed to be the most powerful book in the genre of modernism. He also wrote short stories and poems, and most of them have made it into the world of theatre.

Oscar Wilde

If things had gone well, Oscar Wilde would have been among the richest Irish young authors. At the young age of 20, his literary works had started causing ripples. His satirical play: The Importance of Being Ernest was well received in Britain where it was showcased and beyond. He did not enjoy the literary scene much. He was discovered to be a homosexual, and since it was frowned upon too much during his day, he was imprisoned. By the time he was leaving prison aged 46, his name had been tainted so he left for France and never wrote again.

Maeve Binchy

Binchy is known for her deep description of characters and places. Her deep play of words paints the perfect picture of small villages in Ireland which she mostly writes about. Her novels have been translated to close to 40 languages. Binchy has said in many interviews that her writing career started as a hobby when she was living with her parents in Israel. Some of her famous books include Scarlet Feather and Circle of Friends.

Johnathan Swift

Even if you have never read Gullivers Travels, you have probably heard of the book. It is one of the most popular of Swift’s work. Even though the book is considered to be a children’s classic, there is a lot of political satire and undertones in it. Swift’s life ended on a sad note, with mental illness that made him unstable. After he died, part of the money that he left behind was used to build a hospital.