Top 5 Irish Writers

Top 5 Irish Writers

From Irish short stories, novels, poetry, and screenplays, Irish writers are as diverse as they come, giving us a glimpse into the literary world of the Country. Here’s a look at the top 5 Irish writers which allows you to see the advancement and diversity the country presents.

1. Bram Stoker (1847 – 1912)

Bram Stoker- Wikimedia Commons

You may have read a book or watched a TV show on Dracula. In case you missed it, Dracula was a Gothic horror story that follows Dracula the vampire’s attempt at moving from Transylvania to England in search of new blood.  Dracula was one of Bram Stocker’s best- selling books published in 1897.

Bram Stoker broke ground and inspired the vampire genre. Over 1,000 vampire- based movies have been created courtesy of Stockers creation of Dracula.

Dracula’s success notwithstanding, Stocker is celebrated for other earlier publications. His first novel was ‘The Primrose Path’ published in 1875.  His second one published in 1890 received modest praise. He published a short story collection ‘Under The Sunset’ in 1882.

Stoker was Ireland born and his career was as an actors’ assistant in the 1870s. At the same time Stoker began building his career as a writer. Stoker died of ill health before he could bask in the ultimate success of most of his acclaimed work.

2. Maeve Binchy Snell (1939- 2012)

Maeve Binchy- Wikimedia Commons

Maeve Binchy’s style of writing and setting of many of her novels was endearing as they were in rural small towns in Ireland and she described them vividly without missing the twist in her endings- she let her readers right into her world and the small-town day to day life in Ireland. She was one of the most adored writers in her home country Ireland and in the world.

Binchy was born in Dublin and had three siblings. She was the oldest.  She was a French, Latin, and History teacher at the start of her career and later an Irish Times journalist. With her writing, she is acclaimed for her works as a novelist playwright, columnist , short story writer and speaker.

Her novels have been translated into at least 37 languages, selling more than 40 million copies worldwide. Some of her works are ‘The Glass Lake’, ‘Evening Class’, ‘Tara Road’ and ‘Scarlet Feather’. Some of her books were published after her death.

3. Roddy Doyle (1958- Present)

Roddy Doyle- Wikimedia Commons

The Irish humor is famous, perhaps for its twinges of darkness. To have a taste of this humor, any of Roddy Doyle’s books is your fix. Doyle is renowned for his novels that aptly capture Dublin humor. One of his acclaimed works ‘The Barrytown Trilogy’ that Doyle published in 1992 is a household name in Ireland- the three books have been adapted for the screen and so have several other of Doyle’s works, such as The Snapper, The Commitments, The Van, Rosie, Family, New Boy and When Brendan Met Trudy. His book ‘The Commitments’ was adapted to a play.

While his works have gained quite the success, Doyle has authored some pieces that never saw the light of day. His heavy political satire which he completed in the 1980s titled ‘Your Granny’s a Hunger Striker’ was never published.

One of Doyle’s works that stirred up controversy was his miniseries Family. A conservative Ireland was hit with themes of domestic violence and alcoholism. In this sense, Doyle was a conversation starter. This however was not the only time Doyle tackled sensitive subject matter. His 1996 and 2006 novels ‘The Woman Who Walked into Doors’ and ‘Paula Spencer’ delve into the implications of domestic abuse and alcoholism.

Multi-talented, Doyle additionally wrote children’s books such as Wilderness in 2007 and A Greyhound of a Girl in 2011. Doyle is known for depicting the working-class population in Ireland.

Doyle became a full-time writer only in 1993, before which he was an English and Geography teacher.

4. Oscar Wilde (1854- 1900)

Oscar Wilde- Wikimedia Commons

Oscar Wilde’s quotes are used oftentimes as they are catchy yet meaningful- quotes such as ‘You can never be overdressed or overeducated’ and ‘To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist. That is all’, are profound and in use worldwide.

Besides his famous quotes, Wilde was also a celebrated author, playwright, and poet

Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin and became a prominent figure in the literary world. His work spoke for itself but his flamboyance was even louder! Wilde had a colorful fashion style. His father was a doctor while his mother was a poet- she had quite the influence on Wilde’s writing.

Wilde was a smart child. He attained his degree from Trinity College in Dublin, and by the time he was graduating, Wilde was certain of his career path- he had already started writing for commercial purposes.

Wilde’s novel ‘The Picture of Dorian Grey’ almost earned him a court hearing for gross indecency. This novel tells of a beautiful, innocent young man’s seduction, moral corruption, and eventual downfall.

The author’s bright star was dimmed by his imprisonment for homosexuality. The two-year imprisonment seemed to have broken and demotivated him- he no longer wrote as much. His last noteworthy work was the poem ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’ that chronicled his experiences in prison.

5. C. S. Lewis (1898- 1963)

Statue of C.S Lewis- by “Genvessel”- Wikimedia Commons

The top 5 Irish writers list wouldn’t be complete without the inclusion of C.S Lewis. He was a scholar, novelist, and author, whose writing was mainly on Christian apologetics.

Clive Staples Lewis is famed for his children’s classic ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ that has been translated into 41 different languages and sold over 10 million copies. The Classic has also been adapted by many forms of media.

C.S Lewis was an imaginative child, and this reflects in his writing.  He was raised by scholarly parents, and was already reading by the time he was only 3 years old! His studies were full of interruptions as he struggled to fit into the right school. Lewis’ first attempt at writing was in poetry which he very quickly abandoned for scholarly and fictitious works.

He was a literary giant, tutor, and fellow of the Oxford University. He wrote at least 30 books!  Apart from the Chronicles of Narnia, C. S Lewis’ acclaimed works include ‘Mere Christianity’, ‘Out of the Silent Planet’, ‘The Great Divorce’, and ‘The Screwtape Letters’. At least 3 of his books were published posthumously.

These top 5 Irish writers give us a glimpse into the rich literary world in Ireland. Different time periods present refreshing different genres to choose from as you begin or continue your exploration of Irish literature.