Although his writing is dark and often disturbing, Maryliz Q. provided a humorous, informative, and creative presentation on Dublin-born writer Roddy Doyle on Tuesday, November 5.  

Maryliz began her presentation in an epistolatory fashion: “Dear Roddy…” and asked the writer numerous questions including why he uses such graphically explicit sex in his stories, and why he resorts to Irish stereotypes. 

Maryliz discussed and provided powerful reading selections from six books: Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, A Star Called Henry, Charlie Savage, The Woman Who Walks into Doors, The Women Behind the Door, and Smile. 

Doyle is a prolific writer having published eleven novels, eight children’s books, seven screenplays, and numerous short stories. His novels are mainly conversational in structure, and they often portray the Irish working class in a rather negative light. In 1993, Doyle won the prestigious Booker Prize for his novel Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha.

Doyle, also known as the “Mark Twain” of Ireland, charmed Maryliz and other CWLC members at a recent Wordfest event in Calgary. While charmed, Doyle’s relentless use of profanity was in question.

At the end of her presentation, Maryliz concluded that Doyle is not her kind of writer and his writing “exhausted” her. She concluded her letter to Roddy by wishing him continued success and signed off with a warm-hearted goodbye. 

The Q&A period was, once again, lively and turned to the discussion of profanity. Our CWLC resident Irishwoman reassured members that profanity is very much part of the vocabulary of Northern Dublin, and Doyle’s portrayals are not far from the truth.

Posted by Mooréa G.

Claire Keegan may not be a prolific writer (yet), but what she has written is worthy of impressive accolades, awards, and movie productions.

In her October 29^th presentation, Sandra E. provided an informative and engaging discussion on Irish short story and novella writer, Claire Keegan. 

Keegan’s writing has been compared to short story writers including Anton Chekhov, Alice Munro, and William Trevor. Her writing is economical: she tells The Guardian, “Elegance is just saying enough.” 

Sandra provided vivid summaries of Keegan’s short stories “So Late in the Day” and “The Long and Painful Death,” and novellas Foster and Small Things Like These. 

While Keegan’s writing frequently contains themes of male rage and misogyny, it also explores strong, female characters and quiet heroes. Issues surrounding the Catholic Church and Irish politics also find their way into Keegan’s works. The tragic and disturbing Magdalene Laundries, for example, are explored in Small Things Like These. Sandra describes Keegan’s stories as being notable for developing tension, without the drama: the drama has already taken place. 

Among her long list of awards, Keegan won the lucrative Davy Byrnes Irish Writing Award in 2009 for Foster. Small Things Like These was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize and won the 2022 Orwell Prize for Political Fiction.

Many of Keegan’s stories including Foster and “So Late in the Day” can be found in The New Yorker. Both her novellas have been made into movies to be experienced on the big screen. Foster is renamed The Quiet Girl and was nominated in 2023 for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Small Things Like These, starring Cillian Murphy, is coming to theatres this month (November 2024). This is a movie you won’t want to miss it!

Posted by Mooréa G.

Kevin Barry is yet another Irish writer who was unknown to most CWLC members. On Tuesday, October 22, however, Robin S. impressed and enlightened her audience with her presentation on this talented, Limerick-born writer.

Barry was born in 1969 and had a slow start to writing and publishing. He spent much of his twenties as a freelance reporter, travelling, and having no problem enjoying a few pints. At the age of thirty-nine, he published the short story collection, “There are Little Kingdoms.” Barry and his wife, Olivia Smith, have been living near Lough Arrow in County Sligo (northwestern Ireland) for the past seventeen years.

Barry’s literary influences include Saul Bellow, Phillip Roth, Phillip Larkin, Harold Pinter, and Samuel Beckett.

Robin discussed Barry’s novels, City of Bohane (2011), Beatlebone (2015), Night Boat to Tangier (2019), and The Heart in Winter (2024). Robin also introduced Barry’s short story “Beer Trip to Llandudno.” Most of his stories can be described as lyrical, dark comedies: they are tragic, offbeat, poetic, funny, and filled with profanity. Barry’s stories are often situated in western Ireland, though some are set in other locations such as Night Boat to Tangier, which takes in Spain; and The Heart in Winter, which takes place in Butte, Montana in the late-nineteenth century. Robin described this Irish western as a “Beautifully written book.”

Barry’s first novel, City of Bohane won the very prestigious and lucrative International Dublin Literary Award (€100,000). Other awards include the Sunday Times Short Story Award (£30,000) for “Beer Trip to Llandudno.” A Sunday Times judge said “Barry has performed a deft bit of alchemy in his writing by taking a very ordinary group of amateur ale connoisseurs and transforming them and their not instantly appealing tastes into something sweet, funny, and unexpectedly moving.” Robin feels this is an apt description of what Barry does with all his fiction.

After Robin’s presentation, the Q&A period became one heck of a discussion about the necessity and effectiveness of profanity in literature.

Posted by Mooréa G.

With the temporary closure of the Memorial Park Library (home to the Calgary Women’s Literary Club), Mooréa G.’s presentation was moved to Zoom, where thirty-eight active members, honorary members, and guests were in attendance.

Prior to discussing the works of writer Elizabeth Bowen, Mooréa provided background on the Anglo-Irish Big House. In order to understand some of Bowen’s writing, Mooréa felt it was important to become familiar with these houses and the families who inhabited them.

Elizabeth Bowen (1899-1973) was the only child of well-to-do Anglo-Irish, Protestant parents. As a child, she spent many summers with her family at the ancestral home, Bowen’s Court. Upon the death of her father in 1930, Bowen inherited Bowen’s Court, though was forced to sell it in 1960 as it was financially unsustainable. The house was demolished shortly after. Bowen wrote: “It was a clean end. Bowen’s Court never lived to be a ruin.”

Bowen published ten novels, over one hundred short stories, non-fiction, a children’s book, reviews and articles. Mooréa discussed at length three books: The Last September, The Death of the Heart, and Bowen’s Court. In the two novels, The Last September and The Death of the Heart, the main, female characters closely resemble the writer, and take place in Ireland and England, respectively. Bowen’s Court is a non-fiction account of the house, the Bowen family, and the decline of the Anglo-Irish ascendancy.

Posted by Janet Halls and Mooréa G.

With great sadness, the members of the Calgary Women’s Literary Club say their goodbyes to our longtime member and friend Ruth Hilland.

Ruth peacefully passed away on October 14^th in her one hundredth year. 

Since joining the club in 2006, Ruth served in many positions on the board. At the age of 88, Ruth served as the club’s president for her two-year term. Ruth presented on writers including Khaled Hosseini, Anne Lindberg, and PD James. For several years, Ruth generously invited club members to her home at Amica (now Verve), where we celebrated our annual Winter Party. 

Ruth was a wise, interesting, elegant, and kind woman. As president of the club, she made everyone feel very welcome by standing at the entrance greeting members as they arrived. Within the library and outside the library doors, Ruth enjoyed socializing with members, to whom she became a close friend. Ruth was a “doer.” When the club needed a microphone system so everyone could hear the presentations, she quietly made it happen.

Ruth’s Icelandic heritage was shared and celebrated by other Icelandic members of the club. To many, she was like the gentle matriarch of the club.

Dorothy, Ruth’s assistant and close friend, helped the club throughout the years. Dorothy created beautiful programs for the Spring Luncheon and AGM, and she was Ruth’s contact person in the later years. Dorothy kindly provided the attached photo.

We will miss Ruth’s warm, calm nature and are grateful to have had her as a member of the club and as a friend.

Posted by Mooréa G.

With the recent events at the Calgary Public Library (CPL), the CWLC quickly sprang into action to continue their program on Irish Writers.

On Friday, October 11, the CPL was forced to close all their library locations because of a cybersecurity breach. Due to the closure, our club was unable to meet at the Memorial Park Library on Tuesday 15th. Through the quick actions of the club’s president, Barbara R., and all the members, the meeting was moved to Zoom. During Covid, our members became very proficient in using Zoom for our weekly meetings.

Although we were not in our CWLC home at the library, a wonderful turnout was in attendance for Mooréa’s presentation on Elizabeth Bowen.

While their computer systems are still not in use, the CPL reopened their libraries on Wednesday 16 with limited availability of services. Our club will reconvene at the Memorial Park Library on Tuesday 22 for Robin S.’s presentation on Irish writer Kevin Barry.

The Calgary Women’s Literary Club enjoys a 118-year relationship with the Calgary Public Library. We wish the staff and the entire library community the very best during this difficult time.

Posted by Mooréa G.

Writing poetry is “a journey into the wideness of language, a journey where each point of arrival—whether in one’s poetry or one’s life—turned out to be a stepping stone rather than a destination.”

(Seamus Heaney, accepting his 1995 Nobel Prize)

Cecilia K. gave a wonderful presentation on Irish poet Seamus Heaney on Tuesday, October 8th. To acquaint members with the poet, Cecilia read from the book Stepping Stones: Interviews with Seamus Heaney, by Dennis O’Driscoll.  She quoted sixteen questions posed by O’Driscoll along with the poet’s responses. Heaney’s answers were full of personal reminiscences, opinions, and thoughts. They charmingly brought the poet to life as a person one would want to know. 

When asked which poet was his favourite, Cecilia was delighted his response was, “Gerard Manley Hopkins,” one of her favourite poets. Members learned that helicopters and roadblocks are prevalent in his writings because of “The Troubles” threat to life and limb. Cecilia read from the poem “Casualty” in the collection Field Work.

Cecilia’s presentation blended readings with how the poetry fit into Heaney’s personal life and/or Ireland’s culture and past. Cecilia provided a copy of two poems to members: “Digging” and “Punishment.” She commented on the poem “Digging” as an English teacher would, noting it was the poem that skyrocketed him to fame. 

As a finale, Cecilia led the club in a choral reading of “Digging.” Even a first try captured the sounds, melody, and rhythm of the poem.

Next week, on Tuesday, October 15^th, Mooréa G. will present on Anglo-Irish writer Elizabeth Bowen.

Posted by Janet H. and Mooréa G.

On Tuesday, October 1^st, Janet S. set off the new 2024 – 2025 session on “Irish Writers” with her excellent presentation on Colm Toíbín.

For her presentation, Janet read an impressive number of Toíbín’s works. A versatile writer, he has published novels, short stories, essays, articles, critiques, plays and poetry. His works enter the souls and feelings of the Irish people.

Toíbín’s writings appear deceptively simple. Janet played part of a video in which the author explains his process and how much effort it takes. As he describes it, he begins from a memory that moves into the rhythm. A sentence comes to him like a melody. Janet found reading his works a pleasure.

Toíbín’s writings often reflect his experiences as a child and depicts the intricacies of family relationships. Some titles provide clues: Mad, Bad, Dangerous to Know: Fathers of Wilde, Yeats and Joyce and New Ways to Kill Your Mother.  His first book was a travel book, Bad Blood: A Walk Along the Irish Border. Themes in his books are taken from his own life and culture, such as living in exile, homosexuality, living abroad, and living with loss. Janet read two poems from Vinegar Hill. 

Brooklyn (2009) was his first commercial success and remains his most popular novel. Toíbín retells the story of Agamemnon in The House of Names and imagines the life of Mary after Jesus’s crucifixion in The Testament of Mary. The author scrutinizes other writers carefully, in his fictional biographies such as Henry James in The Master and Thomas Mann in The Magician. Long Island (2024) is a long-awaited sequel to Brooklyn.

Janet has never found a review that didn’t rave, calling him “gifted” and “a master.” She believes him to be one of the top authors of our time. 

Cecilia K. will present on her selected Irish writer, Seamus Heaney, on Tuesday, October 8^th.

Posted by Janet H. and Mooréa G.