Scan barcode
A review by sinerak
Peig: The Autobiography of Peig Sayers of the Great Blasket Island by Peig Sayers
5.0
An incredible read- I think a lot of reviews here are soured by the mandatory Irish course reading. This translation does a fine job, and sends the tone that Peig herself wanted to send- colloquial, as if telling the story by a fire. The stories offer great glimpses into the past, and into the history of an impoverished people.
I've read a book from the same period - 70 years of Irish Life- written by a wealthy Anglo-Irish man William Le Fanu. The difference in perspective is shocking. Le Fanu sees joy in people, and praises the country for being the near paradise he sees it as, marred by mismanagement and the Land Issue. Peig, on the other side of that, shows the real struggle that Le Fanu glosses over.
All to say- I appreciated the perspective this book gave me. A glimpse at the same view through a new pair of glasses as it were.
I've read a book from the same period - 70 years of Irish Life- written by a wealthy Anglo-Irish man William Le Fanu. The difference in perspective is shocking. Le Fanu sees joy in people, and praises the country for being the near paradise he sees it as, marred by mismanagement and the Land Issue. Peig, on the other side of that, shows the real struggle that Le Fanu glosses over.
All to say- I appreciated the perspective this book gave me. A glimpse at the same view through a new pair of glasses as it were.