The Writings Of Padraic Colum

Chronicles the adventures of the King of Ireland's eldest and wildest son, describing how he encounters an enchanter's daughter, the king of the cats, Gilly of the goat-skin, and numerous others.

Padraic Colum (1881-1972) was in the forefront of the Irish Literary Revival along with William Butler Yeats, Lady Gregory, George Moore, AE (George Russell), and John Millington Synge. At the age of twenty-three he was a founding father of the Abbey Players, and he was recognized as one of the most talented young writers of drama, poetry, and short fiction. Unfortunately, Colum quarreled with Yeats and Lady Gregory, and, since he could not earn a living in Dublin by writing alone, he left for America. Colum's contribution to Irish letters is unique, because he alone of the early giants of the Irish Literary Revival was Roman Catholic, peasant born, and country bred. His literary themes are tributes to the indomitable Irish spirit, the natural nobility of the Irish peasant, the ancient folk customs of the countryside, and the poetic beauty of Irish English.

"This co-edited collection breaks new ground by bringing together several leading scholars to explore the substantial body of work produced by Padraic Colum (1881-1972) who was a poet, a novelist, a dramatist, a biographer, a writer of fiction for adults and children, and a collector of folklore. The awards, honours and distinction conferred upon him and his work throughout his life and career, as well as retrospectively, give an indication of the significant and wide-ranging appeal and influence of Colum not only as an Irish writer and storyteller but also as a literary figure entrusted with the myths and legends of other cultures and nations. Despite such achievements, he has received comparatively little critical or scholarly attention to date. This volume showcases the richness of Colum's work by subjecting it to a rigorous literary and theoretical examination and is the first combined and detailed analysis of both his children's and adult texts"--

A collection of tales from ancient myth and legend. Isis and Osiris, Gilgamesh, Hercules, Pandora, Quetzalcoatl, and other larger-than-life figures populate these pages in a wonderful treasury for all ages.

A Newbery Honor-winning collection of epic myths that “is unequaled as an introduction to the classic myths for young readers” (Publishers Weekly). Enter a world where harpies torment mortals, the Argonaut Orpheus sings, the mighty god Zeus wages war on the Titans, and Prometheus steals fire. Author Padraic Colum weaves the tales of Jason and his Argonauts with classic Greek mythology to create this captivating epic about life, war, and astounding beings who lived in a time long past. Poetically written and wonderful for reading aloud, this collection of ancient stories will captivate modern readers.

This co-edited collection breaks new ground by bringing together several leading scholars to explore the substantial body of work produced by Padraic Colum (1881–1972) who was a poet, a novelist, a dramatist, a biographer, a writer of fiction for adults and children, and a collector of folklore. The awards, honours, and distinction conferred upon him and his work throughout his life and career, as well as retrospectively, give an indication of the significant and wide-ranging appeal and influence of Colum not only as an Irish writer and storyteller but also as a literary figure entrusted with the myths and legends of other cultures and nations. Despite such achievements, he has received comparatively little critical or scholarly attention to date. This volume showcases the richness of Colum’s work by subjecting it to a rigorous literary and theoretical examination and is the first combined and detailed analysis of both his children’s and adult texts.

Padriac Colum (1881-1972) at the age of twenty-three was already a gifted, prolific, and versatile writer. He was a major contributor to the Irish national Theatre Society, founded by William Butler Yeats, Lady Gregory, AE, and others, and he himself was one of the founders of the immortal Abbey Theatre. Unlike other leading figures of the Irish Literary Revival, Colum alone was Roman Catholic, peasant born, and country bred. AE convinced the young writer that he had a mission as a poet: to portray the fundamental nature of the Irish peasant experience as only Colum could. Colum's first book of poems, Wild Earth (1907), forms the foundation of his poetic canon, expressing the clarity, strength, and vitality of his unique voice. Although he wrote over sixty books, including plays, fiction, biography, folklore, and children's stories, it is as an Irish lyric poet that he will be remembered. His poetry depicts the nobility of men and women who lived in the ancient ways, close to the sky and the soil, and who were inherently endowed with the elemental understanding of life and death and the eternal cycle of the seasons. In 1914 Colum and his wife, the talented critic, Mary (Molly) Maguire, decided to visit America. They stayed on in New York City, initially because of the war, in voluntary exile. After Molly's death in 1957, Colum's poetry entered a new phase, and in a sense, he became a visitor to his own memories, telling stories about his longtime friends, such as James Joyce and Arthur Griffith, in Irish Elegies and Images of Departure, published when he was in his mid-eighties. Simultaneously personal and universal, these poems are a moving farewell to art and to life.