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Yeats Is Dead!: A Mystery by 15 Irish Writers
Roddy Doyle, Conor McPherson, Gene Kerrigan, Gina Moxley, Marian Keyes, Anthony Cronin, Owen O’Neill, Hugo Hamilton, Joseph O’Connor, Tom Humphries, Pauline McLynn, Charlie O’Neill, Donal O’Kelly, Gerard Stembridge, and Frank McCourt
Fifteen of Ireland’s brightest and most entertaining authors came together to benefit Amnesty International–resulting in this raucous, raunchy, and diabolically entertaining mulligan stew of a novel.
Yeats is Dead! is an elaborate mystery centered around the search for something more valuable and precious than anything else in Ireland–an unpublished manuscript by James Joyce. A madcap chase ensues, spiced with the shenanigans of a spectacular array of a sadistic sergeant with the unlikely name of Andy Andrews; a urinal paddy salesman; and the unforgettable Mrs. Bloom, a woman “who had tried everything but drew the line at honesty.” Gratuitously violent and completely hilarious, Yeats is Dead! is an out-of-control tale of lust and literature that packs big laughs and an even bigger body count.
Fifteen of Ireland’s brightest and most entertaining authors came together to benefit Amnesty International–resulting in this raucous, raunchy, and diabolically entertaining mulligan stew of a novel.
Yeats is Dead! is an elaborate mystery centered around the search for something more valuable and precious than anything else in Ireland–an unpublished manuscript by James Joyce. A madcap chase ensues, spiced with the shenanigans of a spectacular array of a sadistic sergeant with the unlikely name of Andy Andrews; a urinal paddy salesman; and the unforgettable Mrs. Bloom, a woman “who had tried everything but drew the line at honesty.” Gratuitously violent and completely hilarious, Yeats is Dead! is an out-of-control tale of lust and literature that packs big laughs and an even bigger body count.
259 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
17 people are currently reading
544 people want to read
About the author
Joseph O'Connor
105 books631 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Joseph O’Connor was born in Dublin. He is the author of the novels Cowboys and Indians (short-listed for the Whitbread Prize), Desperadoes , The Salesman , Inishowen , Star of the Sea and Redemption Falls , as well as a number of bestselling works of non-fiction.
He was recently voted ‘Irish Writer of the Decade’ by the readers of Hot Press magazine. He broadcasts a popular weekly radio diary on RTE’s Drivetime With Mary Wilson and writes regularly for The Guardian Review and The Sunday Independent. In 2009 he was the Harman Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Baruch College, the City University of New York.
Joseph O’Connor was born in Dublin. He is the author of the novels Cowboys and Indians (short-listed for the Whitbread Prize), Desperadoes , The Salesman , Inishowen , Star of the Sea and Redemption Falls , as well as a number of bestselling works of non-fiction.
He was recently voted ‘Irish Writer of the Decade’ by the readers of Hot Press magazine. He broadcasts a popular weekly radio diary on RTE’s Drivetime With Mary Wilson and writes regularly for The Guardian Review and The Sunday Independent. In 2009 he was the Harman Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Baruch College, the City University of New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
May 5, 2020
Yeats is Dead!: A Mystery by Fifteen Irish Writers is undoubtedly intriguing in theory. In practice, this magical mystery tour of a book isn't so much magical as it is a nebulous clot of messy plot lines, a catalog of cartoonish characters, and an ultimately unsatisfactory read.
Roddy Doyle begins the novel in typical Roddy Doyle fashion, which was an excellent choice because his writing is so delightfully vague and dialogue-heavy that it provides the next few writers with the ideal slate to push the story forward in any direction they choose. However, a handful of chapters follow in which too many new characters are introduced and subsequently end up dead (seriously, this is an issue with fifteen different writers working on a mystery - everyone wants to leave their mark by creating a new character/plot line/corpse). The late beginning of the book (pun intended) and through the middle were admittedly difficult to trudge through.
Then we get to Pauline McLynn's chapter, which is so delightful and funny - it was clear she realized that, by that point in the book, there were so many disjointed plot details and entirely too many characters that she would have no issue at all throwing several wrenches (or massive tools into everyone else's boxes, for those of you who get the reference) into everyone's carefully crafted story contributions. Her chapter is so refreshingly ridiculous that it gives the reader a bit of hope... or at least a bit more will to push through to the end of the book.
Frank McCourt finishes the book with the fifteenth chapter, which clearly was not an easy task. Like McLynn, he deliberately makes a complete joke out of the book and everyone else's characters by forming them into even more grotesque caricatures. There was no saving the "story" at this point, so he didn't... he swiftly sent it to its grave, thank God.
I honestly don't know if I would recommend this read. It's simultaneously entertaining and frustrating. Unless you have a huge amount of patience or an ability to read the book as a study of what happens when you throw a lot of talent at a very strange project, then I'd keep away. Otherwise, strap in, because this one is a weird ride.
Roddy Doyle begins the novel in typical Roddy Doyle fashion, which was an excellent choice because his writing is so delightfully vague and dialogue-heavy that it provides the next few writers with the ideal slate to push the story forward in any direction they choose. However, a handful of chapters follow in which too many new characters are introduced and subsequently end up dead (seriously, this is an issue with fifteen different writers working on a mystery - everyone wants to leave their mark by creating a new character/plot line/corpse). The late beginning of the book (pun intended) and through the middle were admittedly difficult to trudge through.
Then we get to Pauline McLynn's chapter, which is so delightful and funny - it was clear she realized that, by that point in the book, there were so many disjointed plot details and entirely too many characters that she would have no issue at all throwing several wrenches (or massive tools into everyone else's boxes, for those of you who get the reference) into everyone's carefully crafted story contributions. Her chapter is so refreshingly ridiculous that it gives the reader a bit of hope... or at least a bit more will to push through to the end of the book.
Frank McCourt finishes the book with the fifteenth chapter, which clearly was not an easy task. Like McLynn, he deliberately makes a complete joke out of the book and everyone else's characters by forming them into even more grotesque caricatures. There was no saving the "story" at this point, so he didn't... he swiftly sent it to its grave, thank God.
I honestly don't know if I would recommend this read. It's simultaneously entertaining and frustrating. Unless you have a huge amount of patience or an ability to read the book as a study of what happens when you throw a lot of talent at a very strange project, then I'd keep away. Otherwise, strap in, because this one is a weird ride.
June 17, 2019
Yeats Is Dead! is a hilarious romp through the Irish countryside as various factions try to get their hands on or unload a secret document reputed to be James Joyce’s last work, an unpublished manuscript written about the poet Yeats.
Written by 15 of the most preeminent and irreverent voices out of Ireland today, this novel is a mystery in which there is no mysery, as a man dies and the reader immediately knows who the murderer is. This isn’t a whodunit; it’s a whatthef**kisit as the myriad characters let fly with bullets, excuses, alibis, gutter talk, sexual innuendoes, crack and the blarney that only the Irish are capable of using. It’s everybody for themselves and the devil take the hindmost as hilarity and hijinks, the rich and poor, the clever and deeply stupid collide.
This is absurdity of almost Ionescan proportions and the reader is dragged helpessly along on the tour. This novel will have you quaking with laughter and shuddering with horror on almost the same page. You’ll never think of Ireland or James Joyce in quite the same light after reading it.
Written by 15 of the most preeminent and irreverent voices out of Ireland today, this novel is a mystery in which there is no mysery, as a man dies and the reader immediately knows who the murderer is. This isn’t a whodunit; it’s a whatthef**kisit as the myriad characters let fly with bullets, excuses, alibis, gutter talk, sexual innuendoes, crack and the blarney that only the Irish are capable of using. It’s everybody for themselves and the devil take the hindmost as hilarity and hijinks, the rich and poor, the clever and deeply stupid collide.
This is absurdity of almost Ionescan proportions and the reader is dragged helpessly along on the tour. This novel will have you quaking with laughter and shuddering with horror on almost the same page. You’ll never think of Ireland or James Joyce in quite the same light after reading it.
August 21, 2014
I loved the idea of 15 Irish writers penning a mystery novel together, each taking a chapter. Sadly, it just didn't work for me. The problem, I think, is that each writer felt the need to add his or her own twist to the plot and the characters causing the whole vehicle to careen all over the road. I imagined each author adding a character or a plot element with some notion of direction, only to have the next in line take it to a different direction. The result was a mediocre mystery/crime novel. What this idea needs isthe equivalent of the "show runner" that successful TV series use -- someone who maintains the overall vision and story line even though different writers and directors are brought in for each episode.
October 12, 2017
I could not finish this mish-mash. A lovely idea gone awry. The old adage is so true: Too many cooks spoil the both.
March 5, 2021
I'm getting too old to waste time reading books I don't like. This one is clever, funny, witty--and gross. Moving on.....
March 11, 2025
March challenge to only read books work green covers (my version of this book has a green cover)
What the hell?
I thought the concept of this was a great idea, but this story was so confusing. The narrative thread kept getting lost. Characters came and went on a whim. I don’t have any idea if the authors who were writing this were told they were supposed to connect their chapters together but it certainly didn’t seem like it. Because this was all over the place.
What the hell?
I thought the concept of this was a great idea, but this story was so confusing. The narrative thread kept getting lost. Characters came and went on a whim. I don’t have any idea if the authors who were writing this were told they were supposed to connect their chapters together but it certainly didn’t seem like it. Because this was all over the place.
June 19, 2024
I agree with the comments that too many cooks spoil the broth!
The idea was interesting however execution failed.
Too many characters, as if each author wanted its own character. Then later on, just became confusing and a bit frustrating to read.
Also feels as if they are trying to hard to make it comical and then always default to sexual references that misses it mark.
I would rather just donate directly to amnesty international than purchase and suffer through this book
The idea was interesting however execution failed.
Too many characters, as if each author wanted its own character. Then later on, just became confusing and a bit frustrating to read.
Also feels as if they are trying to hard to make it comical and then always default to sexual references that misses it mark.
I would rather just donate directly to amnesty international than purchase and suffer through this book
May 27, 2018
If you have seen the movie Murder By Death and enjoyed it, and if you get a kick about inside jokes about Irish obscurities like Eamon Dunphy (No, not that one) then you might enjoy this collective charity project to support Amnesty International. If not, you may be tempted to hurl it at your cat.
might-try-again-later-on
January 26, 2024dnf at 100 pages. the book just doesn't flow, it feels clunky and disjointed (obviously it would be hard for it not to be disjointed being written by 15 people, but it doesn't marry in the way that it could have). might try and read it again over the summer, but it's not the book for now
April 28, 2019
This was the weirdest, most schizophrenic book I have ever read and I hated it with all of my being.
April 5, 2023
Absolutely brilliant bonkers fun , as if each author tried to 'one up' the daftness/ horniness / mad escapades of the previous chapter
Read
June 9, 2009I found this secondhand in the Boulder bookstore so the fact that it was released to raise money for Amnesty was I guess not helped by my purchase (I feel like I may have had this conversation with Pierce before but I don't know if it was this book or whether it was on the internets or in real life or maybe just deja vu. Anyway.) I read it on the way back from Boulder to LA and it made me laugh out loud on the bus and the plane which always makes me feel a little crazy but I like it. So it was definitely funny. Took the piss out of the government, the political parties, the gardai, people from the city, people from the country, the writers themselves, and even James Joyce (gasp), around whose mysterious missing manuscript the story is based. Very fun and probably the best attempt at having 15 writers manage a single story that could be achieved.
Aside: This book also sank me into a paroxysm of shame over the fact that I haven't yet read Ulysses to past a quarter of the way through so I went and bought it (again) today and this time I'm not giving up, losing the book or being distracted by ANYTHING.
Aside: This book also sank me into a paroxysm of shame over the fact that I haven't yet read Ulysses to past a quarter of the way through so I went and bought it (again) today and this time I'm not giving up, losing the book or being distracted by ANYTHING.
April 17, 2020
With 15 different authors each tackling a different chapter this book ranged from 2 stars to 4 stars all through but it was a really fun ride. It kind of reminds me of early Guy Ritchie films, but Irish. It was a thoroughly fun read but some authors were better than others and there are some characters I wish we would've spent more time with than others.
January 27, 2008
I picked this up in a hostel in Dublin and carried it with me throughout Ireland. It is a great introducction to some contemporary Irish authors, and quite a study in literary styles.
February 4, 2008
This book is a hilarious, fun read - each chapter a different Irish writer and they do whatever they feel like with the storyline and characters.
June 18, 2014
The best collective author of a single work. Faint praise.
June 18, 2024
I wanted to like this. I gave it so many chances, but, in the end, I had to DNF it. This gets two stars instead of one because about two-thirds of the book wasn't awful.
It's an interesting concept: fifteen Irish writers pass a story off, one to the next, each writing a chapter. The end result is this novel. Yeats is Dead! We used to do something similar in grade school and again in creative writing class in high school: a piece of paper is passed around, with each student writing a line or two, and the end result is read aloud for all to hear. It was usually pretty nonsensical. So, too, was this book.
I understand that, with fifteen different writers, you're liable to have some peaks and valleys in regard to quality. But the valleys were so low that I couldn't get out of them. One in particular, chapter 11, was especially cringe-inducing. Pauline McLynn is a name I recognize because I am a huge fan of the '90's Irish sitcom Father Ted, on which she played the ridiculous and hilarious Mrs. Doyle. She contributed the eleventh chapter to this book, and up until that chapter, I was able to look past the flaws. She crapped the bed so badly that the sheets should have been thrown out. Instead, the other authors had to roll around in it.
I read about two-thirds of this book and couldn't do it anymore. Life is too short to waste time on rubbish. Which, incidentally, is where this one is going: right in the trash. I'll not have it sullying my shelves, and I'll not disrespect my fellow readers by passing it off to one of them.
It's an interesting concept: fifteen Irish writers pass a story off, one to the next, each writing a chapter. The end result is this novel. Yeats is Dead! We used to do something similar in grade school and again in creative writing class in high school: a piece of paper is passed around, with each student writing a line or two, and the end result is read aloud for all to hear. It was usually pretty nonsensical. So, too, was this book.
I understand that, with fifteen different writers, you're liable to have some peaks and valleys in regard to quality. But the valleys were so low that I couldn't get out of them. One in particular, chapter 11, was especially cringe-inducing. Pauline McLynn is a name I recognize because I am a huge fan of the '90's Irish sitcom Father Ted, on which she played the ridiculous and hilarious Mrs. Doyle. She contributed the eleventh chapter to this book, and up until that chapter, I was able to look past the flaws. She crapped the bed so badly that the sheets should have been thrown out. Instead, the other authors had to roll around in it.
I read about two-thirds of this book and couldn't do it anymore. Life is too short to waste time on rubbish. Which, incidentally, is where this one is going: right in the trash. I'll not have it sullying my shelves, and I'll not disrespect my fellow readers by passing it off to one of them.
April 28, 2020
It sounds like "Two (or fifteen) heads are better than one." Actually, it's "Too many cooks spoil the broth." It could have worked; it didn't.
I don't know the process by which fifteen contemporary Irish writers wrote the book...did one start, and the next pick up from the end of #1's ending? Was there a premise and a plotline with the (too) many characters already known by all, or were authors free to contribute as they went along and leaving #15 to tie up all the loose ends? Dunno. Don't care.
I soon started to keep a notepaper where I tried to keep all the relationships sorted out. The wife killed the husband of her mistress??? How did the Justice Minister know the detective, and how did they wind up in bed together??? Fat Gary is married, but he falls for a gay lover, who killed the Detective Superintendent (right?) two minutes after they meet???
I didn't think this was a smart book, not a witty book. I can't believe any of the authors would look at their contribution with any semblance of pride. Or, they shouldn't...
The single star comes from one author sneaking in the title of the rousing song "A Nation Once Again." I was previously unfamiliar with this, and recommend the version by Luke Kelly that can be found on YouTube.
And, truth be told, I did like the very final sentence.
I don't know the process by which fifteen contemporary Irish writers wrote the book...did one start, and the next pick up from the end of #1's ending? Was there a premise and a plotline with the (too) many characters already known by all, or were authors free to contribute as they went along and leaving #15 to tie up all the loose ends? Dunno. Don't care.
I soon started to keep a notepaper where I tried to keep all the relationships sorted out. The wife killed the husband of her mistress??? How did the Justice Minister know the detective, and how did they wind up in bed together??? Fat Gary is married, but he falls for a gay lover, who killed the Detective Superintendent (right?) two minutes after they meet???
I didn't think this was a smart book, not a witty book. I can't believe any of the authors would look at their contribution with any semblance of pride. Or, they shouldn't...
The single star comes from one author sneaking in the title of the rousing song "A Nation Once Again." I was previously unfamiliar with this, and recommend the version by Luke Kelly that can be found on YouTube.
And, truth be told, I did like the very final sentence.
October 18, 2021
Ogni capitolo si legge in modo scorrevole, alcuni scrittori han reso il proprio capitolo un po' più divertente di altri, ma la penna del bravo scrittore/della brava scrittrice si vede comunque. Sicuramente il fatto di aver 15 menti diverse a trattare una storia non è una cosa che renda facile il progresso della storia stessa: alcuni autori, soprattutto nei primi capitoli, continuano a buttar dentro personaggi in fila, o colpi di scena uno più assurdo dell'altro - ci sono davvero alcuni passaggi in cui ci si ritrova ad avere un faccia stupita, stile emojii. Tanto di cappello a Frank Mc Court, autore dell'ultimo capitolo, che ha provato a tirare le fila del racconto. È un libro strano, su questo non ci piove, divertente e anche irritante a tratti... con pazienza si può leggerlo, ma non lo consiglio a chi è appassionato di gialli: qui, il punto, non è quello di avere un romanzo giallo.
February 14, 2021
2005 schrieb ich:
So ganz überzeugt hat das Buch mich nicht. Ich war sehr gespannt, wie die Idee, 15 Autoren an einer Geschichte schreiben zu lassen, wohl realisiert werden könnte. Leider war es meiner Meinung nach nicht von Vorteil für den Fortgang der Geschichte. Die Figuren machten innerhalb kürzester Zeit wundersame Wandlungen durch, die Geschehnisse nahmen absurde Wendungen... Natürlich war es interessant die verschiedenen Schreibstile im direkten Vergleich lesen zu können, allerdings drängte sich mir manchmal das Gefühl auf, ein Autor wolle den Anderen ausstechen, statt eine gemeinsame Geschichte zu spinnen.
So ganz überzeugt hat das Buch mich nicht. Ich war sehr gespannt, wie die Idee, 15 Autoren an einer Geschichte schreiben zu lassen, wohl realisiert werden könnte. Leider war es meiner Meinung nach nicht von Vorteil für den Fortgang der Geschichte. Die Figuren machten innerhalb kürzester Zeit wundersame Wandlungen durch, die Geschehnisse nahmen absurde Wendungen... Natürlich war es interessant die verschiedenen Schreibstile im direkten Vergleich lesen zu können, allerdings drängte sich mir manchmal das Gefühl auf, ein Autor wolle den Anderen ausstechen, statt eine gemeinsame Geschichte zu spinnen.
September 4, 2023
It's don't think the story is all that cohesive and some of the characters seems like a very "flash in the pan" idea, but that's the issue, I want to like it more, I want more of whatever the hell is going on. I think it could honestly work if one of the writers took their respective chapter and fleshed it out into a whole novel.
June 4, 2019
15 Irish writers (including Roddy Doyle) coming together to write separate chapters of a mystery sounds a promising project but the storyline becomes chaotic as the novel progresses. Leaves the reader a little unsatisfied in the end.
May 9, 2020
I really loved this book.
I was looking for the next chapter with the next voice, though it seemed the style of the authors were the same (probably because of the translator).
I loved that until the very last chapter they could wind things up, and had no idea how it will end.
I was looking for the next chapter with the next voice, though it seemed the style of the authors were the same (probably because of the translator).
I loved that until the very last chapter they could wind things up, and had no idea how it will end.
December 19, 2020
I love the concept behind the design of this book. However, all the different authors did make it hard to follow characters and ideas from chapter to chapter. An entertaining read, but probably not a book I will pick up again.
July 24, 2025
Hoewel de auteurs stuk voor stuk steengoede schrijvers zijn is dit project een puinhoop! Teveel en te verwarrende personnages en locaties... geen kat die hier haar jongen in terugvindt...
Wat een gezamelijke afgang...
Wat een gezamelijke afgang...
September 6, 2025
Have you ever seen the film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? This is the book version of that.
The book is not necessarily bad, and there is a lot of humor, but 'on drugs' best describes it, in my opinion.
The book is not necessarily bad, and there is a lot of humor, but 'on drugs' best describes it, in my opinion.
August 4, 2020
Very enjoyable and really funny, the micky rasta character had me in tears
October 6, 2020
Interesting and quite funny crime novel. Individual chapters are well written by different authors but overall the novel doesn't quite measure up.
January 2, 2021
well done serial novel with very different voices but a little hard to follow...!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews