Keeping the Night Watch

by Fred Johnston

These eleven stories by the Irish poet, critic, and novelist Fred Johnston generally explore the concept of the internal exile, the outsider in contemporary society. These are stories about bright human lights that failed, the conflict between what we wish for and what we end up with: a young woman breaks down during a visit to Spain, a man who sees himself as a leader of men runs away toward an embarrassing encounter with the law, and a well-to-do housewife confronts the vacuum at the center of her idyllic marriage.

172 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1999

About the author

Fred Johnston (born 1951) is an Irish poet, novelist, literary critic and musician. He is the founder and current director of the Western Writers' Centre in Galway. He co-founded the Irish Writers' Co-operative in 1974, and founded Galway's annual Cúirt International Festival of Literature in 1986.

From the early 1980s to the mid 1990s, Johnston contributed poetry and short stories to the Scottish international literature, arts and affairs magazine, Cencrastus.