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Anna
"A writer comparable to James Joyce and Flann O'Brien"
-- Morris Beja, The James Joyce Quarterly
-- Morris Beja, The James Joyce Quarterly
Huge, absorbing, almost unbearably moving, Anna is the story of one girl's bid for love in a suffocating society. An epic set in troubled Ireland, this rich tale of love and the search for fulfilment will captivate you from the first word to the last.
495 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 3, 2019
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About the author
Colm Herron
9 books28 followersColm Herron is the author of five novels, including For I Have Sinned and Further Adventures of James Joyce. All received high acclaim. Further Adventures of James Joyce for example was described by Morris Beja in James Joyce Quarterly as “a totally comic novel.” Mr Beja, who is professor Emeritus of literature at Ohio State University, went on to compare Colm’s writing to that of both James Joyce and Irish comic genius Flann O’Brien.
On 2 February 2011 Joyce scholar Doctor Jonathan McCreedy delivered a paper at the Joyce birthday conference in Roma Tre University. His paper was entitled Further Adventures of James Joyce: the crossroads of two reading publics [the two publics being the Joyce aficionado and what Flann O’Brien might have called the plain person out for a good read].
On 16 June 2010 as part of a weeklong Bloomsday festival Colm shared the platform with actor Barry McGovern where for six hours under a midsummer sun they did readings alternately, he from Ulysses and Colm from his own novel.
In April 2011 Colm received an invitation from Professor Anne Fogarty of UCD to attend the National Library, Dublin, on the occasion of the annual Joyce Colloquium. Here he discovered that he had two thrilling admirers, namely Fritz Senn, father figure of Joyce scholars worldwide, and Jean-Michel Rabaté the renowned, perhaps unequalled, authority on Joyce, Beckett and a host of other writers and subjects.
Colm’s novel “The Wake” is a comic/serious novel which recalls Samuel Beckett at his most seminal. It opens with an unbroken sequence lasting 22 000 words which uses the setting of a traditional Irish wake to explore the destitution of man and transform it into something like his ennoblement.
The title of Colm's latest novel "A Maiden So Bewitching" is taken from the words of an old Irish song - Courting in the Kitchen - and it tells the story of a boy called Alexis who is brought up as a girl by a deranged mother and makes his way to to manhood in a state of sexual confusion. The same kind of upbringing had befallen the great writer Ernest Hemingway who reacted by living a macho lifestyle and taking out his hatred of his mother by ill-treating most of the women in his life. Alexis reacts in very different ways, sometimes comic, sometimes sad, always appealing - and these ways often land him in serious difficulties.
From the time he sat down to write his first novel Colm has lived by the motto ‘Non-fiction tries to use fact to help us see the lies. Fiction uses metaphor to help us see the truth.’ He later found that he was putting into practice what Nobel prize-winning South African author Nadine Gordimer called “witness literature”. In a Pen lecture given by Gordimer for International Writers' Day in 2002 Gordimer talked of the felling of the twin towers on 11 September 2001."Terror pounced from the sky and the world made witness to it," she said. She then went on to consider the media coverage of that terrible day and examined the difference between the reporter's job, the pundit's job and that of the writer. "Meaning is what cannot be reached by the immediacy of the image, the description of the sequence of events, the methodologies of expert analysis,” she said. “Kafka says the writer sees among the ruins different (and more) things than others … it [witness literature] is seeing what is really taking place."
On 2 February 2011 Joyce scholar Doctor Jonathan McCreedy delivered a paper at the Joyce birthday conference in Roma Tre University. His paper was entitled Further Adventures of James Joyce: the crossroads of two reading publics [the two publics being the Joyce aficionado and what Flann O’Brien might have called the plain person out for a good read].
On 16 June 2010 as part of a weeklong Bloomsday festival Colm shared the platform with actor Barry McGovern where for six hours under a midsummer sun they did readings alternately, he from Ulysses and Colm from his own novel.
In April 2011 Colm received an invitation from Professor Anne Fogarty of UCD to attend the National Library, Dublin, on the occasion of the annual Joyce Colloquium. Here he discovered that he had two thrilling admirers, namely Fritz Senn, father figure of Joyce scholars worldwide, and Jean-Michel Rabaté the renowned, perhaps unequalled, authority on Joyce, Beckett and a host of other writers and subjects.
Colm’s novel “The Wake” is a comic/serious novel which recalls Samuel Beckett at his most seminal. It opens with an unbroken sequence lasting 22 000 words which uses the setting of a traditional Irish wake to explore the destitution of man and transform it into something like his ennoblement.
The title of Colm's latest novel "A Maiden So Bewitching" is taken from the words of an old Irish song - Courting in the Kitchen - and it tells the story of a boy called Alexis who is brought up as a girl by a deranged mother and makes his way to to manhood in a state of sexual confusion. The same kind of upbringing had befallen the great writer Ernest Hemingway who reacted by living a macho lifestyle and taking out his hatred of his mother by ill-treating most of the women in his life. Alexis reacts in very different ways, sometimes comic, sometimes sad, always appealing - and these ways often land him in serious difficulties.
From the time he sat down to write his first novel Colm has lived by the motto ‘Non-fiction tries to use fact to help us see the lies. Fiction uses metaphor to help us see the truth.’ He later found that he was putting into practice what Nobel prize-winning South African author Nadine Gordimer called “witness literature”. In a Pen lecture given by Gordimer for International Writers' Day in 2002 Gordimer talked of the felling of the twin towers on 11 September 2001."Terror pounced from the sky and the world made witness to it," she said. She then went on to consider the media coverage of that terrible day and examined the difference between the reporter's job, the pundit's job and that of the writer. "Meaning is what cannot be reached by the immediacy of the image, the description of the sequence of events, the methodologies of expert analysis,” she said. “Kafka says the writer sees among the ruins different (and more) things than others … it [witness literature] is seeing what is really taking place."
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 13, 2019
Colm Herron is an exceptional writer who deserves more widespread recognition, and ‘Anna’ is his finest work to date. It deals (as do his other books) with the special relationship Northern Ireland has with bigotry, and Herron has a rare ability to get right to the heart of the matter. I found myself thinking throughout: “What a piece of work is a man” – immensely talented and yet deeply flawed; funny, sad, noble and pathetic, all at the same time.
This is a story about abuse. It’s told by Robert, “twenty-eight, respectable teacher, virgin till two weeks ago”, whose mind from early childhood was undermined by Roman Catholic dogma and myth and whose heart was led down the garden path with fables and warnings from God knows when. “You have to remember that in our hierarchy of evil the sin of fornication ranks more seriously than any other up to and sometimes including homicide …” He strikes up a relationship with Anna, an angry, bisexual, radical socialist who throughout her childhood was sexually abused by her father, and who – predictably - has no regard for Catholic principles. Featuring in this hilariously entertaining tapestry of a tale are a host of local characters, each of whom adds to the richness and profundity of the narrative.
Herron has a wicked sense of humour, a sharp eye for detail, and a command of language and literature that makes his work a deep and lasting pleasure to read. I am resisting the temptation to offer you a hundred examples of his biting wit, spot-on similes and touchingly lyrical language. Instead, I will simply recommend “Anna” without reservation. Do read this book. I think that, like me, you will laugh and cry in equal measure.
This is a story about abuse. It’s told by Robert, “twenty-eight, respectable teacher, virgin till two weeks ago”, whose mind from early childhood was undermined by Roman Catholic dogma and myth and whose heart was led down the garden path with fables and warnings from God knows when. “You have to remember that in our hierarchy of evil the sin of fornication ranks more seriously than any other up to and sometimes including homicide …” He strikes up a relationship with Anna, an angry, bisexual, radical socialist who throughout her childhood was sexually abused by her father, and who – predictably - has no regard for Catholic principles. Featuring in this hilariously entertaining tapestry of a tale are a host of local characters, each of whom adds to the richness and profundity of the narrative.
Herron has a wicked sense of humour, a sharp eye for detail, and a command of language and literature that makes his work a deep and lasting pleasure to read. I am resisting the temptation to offer you a hundred examples of his biting wit, spot-on similes and touchingly lyrical language. Instead, I will simply recommend “Anna” without reservation. Do read this book. I think that, like me, you will laugh and cry in equal measure.
August 5, 2019
Another entertaining, thought provoking and quietly informative chronicle of life in sectarian divided Northern Ireland in the late 1960’s; delivered through the dialogue, acts, mishaps and individual richness of the characters.
Robert Browning, a 28-year-old virgin, the son of a devoutly Catholic and domineering mother and a respectable teacher at St. Ignatius’ school finds love with Anna. But Anna is an ultra-left socialist and civil rights campaigner who draws him into her sphere to join her on marches and to suffer police battering and newspaper reports that threaten his respectability and his job at the school.
His life is further complicated by Anna’s love for him running concurrent with her affections for others. Anna is into bondage and S and M, to which Robert readily accedes, causing him to suffer the after effects of conflict with his Catholic beliefs. An hilariously moving, if tragic, story.
This is very much fact based fiction and while I have always been aware of the peculiar social and political differences prevailing in the province then – and indeed to only a slightly lesser extent, today. I understand them a lot more after reading the exploits of main character Robert Browning (no relation) and his small band of friends. This is not, however, a history textbook or a political tome, yet its characters explain by their deeds and dialogues the history of their land and the extent of the injustices suffered for centuries by the communities in Northern Ireland and their segregation on sectarian grounds. I was amazed and dismayed at the very real fear of harm the Catholic friends endured when seeking relief from a call of nature in a Protestant pub.
Colm Herron skilfully explains through the mouths of his characters while they are about their adventures that Ireland came into the bondage of a foreign power at the invitation of an Irish king in the 13th century, and since then, ‘only the rivers run free’ in the troubled isle – with a healthy suggestion that the Roman Catholic church and bigoted politicians are perpetuating the bondage. History has proved that the partition of countries and peoples to be a poor solution to a demographic problem. The six counties of Northern Ireland are partitioned from Eire, but also partitioned within itself on grounds of religion. The people are restricted (largely) to their own areas- and often behind walls. These are facts that are as fascinating as they are deplorable for me as a writer on social injustice.
However, there is so much more to this book than social injustice and political unrest. The book would not be a work by Colm Herron without a heavy inclusion of humour on most of its pages. If you have ever wondered why the sport of Rugby football does not play its game with a round ball, the answer is in this story. I thoroughly recommend Anna as an enjoyable and provocative read. It is an excellent portrayal of Northern Irish society in the year before the Mexico Olympics – and perhaps, of today.
Robert Browning, a 28-year-old virgin, the son of a devoutly Catholic and domineering mother and a respectable teacher at St. Ignatius’ school finds love with Anna. But Anna is an ultra-left socialist and civil rights campaigner who draws him into her sphere to join her on marches and to suffer police battering and newspaper reports that threaten his respectability and his job at the school.
His life is further complicated by Anna’s love for him running concurrent with her affections for others. Anna is into bondage and S and M, to which Robert readily accedes, causing him to suffer the after effects of conflict with his Catholic beliefs. An hilariously moving, if tragic, story.
This is very much fact based fiction and while I have always been aware of the peculiar social and political differences prevailing in the province then – and indeed to only a slightly lesser extent, today. I understand them a lot more after reading the exploits of main character Robert Browning (no relation) and his small band of friends. This is not, however, a history textbook or a political tome, yet its characters explain by their deeds and dialogues the history of their land and the extent of the injustices suffered for centuries by the communities in Northern Ireland and their segregation on sectarian grounds. I was amazed and dismayed at the very real fear of harm the Catholic friends endured when seeking relief from a call of nature in a Protestant pub.
Colm Herron skilfully explains through the mouths of his characters while they are about their adventures that Ireland came into the bondage of a foreign power at the invitation of an Irish king in the 13th century, and since then, ‘only the rivers run free’ in the troubled isle – with a healthy suggestion that the Roman Catholic church and bigoted politicians are perpetuating the bondage. History has proved that the partition of countries and peoples to be a poor solution to a demographic problem. The six counties of Northern Ireland are partitioned from Eire, but also partitioned within itself on grounds of religion. The people are restricted (largely) to their own areas- and often behind walls. These are facts that are as fascinating as they are deplorable for me as a writer on social injustice.
However, there is so much more to this book than social injustice and political unrest. The book would not be a work by Colm Herron without a heavy inclusion of humour on most of its pages. If you have ever wondered why the sport of Rugby football does not play its game with a round ball, the answer is in this story. I thoroughly recommend Anna as an enjoyable and provocative read. It is an excellent portrayal of Northern Irish society in the year before the Mexico Olympics – and perhaps, of today.
August 12, 2019
Well! I don't think I've ever come across anything like this before. A girl called Anna,
clever, independent-minded and beautiful, falls in love with a conservative, buttoned-up teacher called Robert. This is kind of complicated because she is already in love with a girl called Audrey. And she and Audrey are non-violent revolutionaries in a country where thirty years of murder and mayhem are about to begin. I really loved The Wake, which was laugh out loud funny at times. so I do hope you will read both and his other books which I must get around to soon.
clever, independent-minded and beautiful, falls in love with a conservative, buttoned-up teacher called Robert. This is kind of complicated because she is already in love with a girl called Audrey. And she and Audrey are non-violent revolutionaries in a country where thirty years of murder and mayhem are about to begin. I really loved The Wake, which was laugh out loud funny at times. so I do hope you will read both and his other books which I must get around to soon.
September 12, 2019
Colm Herron writes with such succinct clarity that you are immediately transported to the 1960’s and the sectarian troubles of Northern Ireland. The story is very much character driven, and presents the reader with the complexities of living under a divided Ireland and the stern eye of the Catholic Church.
The story follows Robert Browning, a twenty-eight year old teacher, and you are introduced to the man’s inner conflicts with both his religion and the politics of the times. When he meets Anna, a far more worldly wise, sexually adventurous and experienced, ultra socialist, he is swept along in her wake, only too eager to be led into S & M experimentation, and civil rights protesting. But although Robert Browning goes willingly, the road is rocky and the internal conflicts this new lifestyle creates with his strict Catholic upbringing, take their toll.
Colm Herron has the ability to totally submerge his readers in the culture of his characters, and presents the complications of living in a Northern Irish society in the sixties—the complex balancing act between state, church, morals and ambition—with dark humor, fascinating facts, and a liberal sprinkling of a lilting Irish accent. All of which, enrich this exceptional literary novel.
The story follows Robert Browning, a twenty-eight year old teacher, and you are introduced to the man’s inner conflicts with both his religion and the politics of the times. When he meets Anna, a far more worldly wise, sexually adventurous and experienced, ultra socialist, he is swept along in her wake, only too eager to be led into S & M experimentation, and civil rights protesting. But although Robert Browning goes willingly, the road is rocky and the internal conflicts this new lifestyle creates with his strict Catholic upbringing, take their toll.
Colm Herron has the ability to totally submerge his readers in the culture of his characters, and presents the complications of living in a Northern Irish society in the sixties—the complex balancing act between state, church, morals and ambition—with dark humor, fascinating facts, and a liberal sprinkling of a lilting Irish accent. All of which, enrich this exceptional literary novel.
July 25, 2019
Robert Browning is the name of a great 19th century English Romantic poet, no? Yes, but it is also the name of a 28 year-old Catholic virgin in Sixties Ireland. And the Irish Robert has a problem that has nothing to do with getting a poem down on paper. For he is deeply in love with a clever and beautiful girl called Anna who happens to be a lesbian (shock horror!) and, even worse, she has no regard for the limits that Church and state impose on moral behavior. I was a teenager in the 60s, so I'm familiar with this time in history, which the author has truly captured.
I found this book both endearing and gripping. The author's style is nothing short of brilliant, his characters vivid and real. And it transported me to a time which still exists in many parts of the world. And even while I was rooting for the (three) lovers I found myself belly-laughing at scenes that would have shocked my maiden aunts and maybe my mother too (except my mom did actually have a rather ribald sense of humor underneath her proper exterior.)
If you're looking for an entertaining albeit slightly racy read, pick up a copy of this future classic today.
I found this book both endearing and gripping. The author's style is nothing short of brilliant, his characters vivid and real. And it transported me to a time which still exists in many parts of the world. And even while I was rooting for the (three) lovers I found myself belly-laughing at scenes that would have shocked my maiden aunts and maybe my mother too (except my mom did actually have a rather ribald sense of humor underneath her proper exterior.)
If you're looking for an entertaining albeit slightly racy read, pick up a copy of this future classic today.
August 13, 2019
Intended as a northern Ireland microcosm of the unrest in the world during the sixties, this book is also an introspective, an intense story of love between Robert Browning, a teacher who grew up in a devout Catholic family, and Anna, a civil rights activist. He is far from being fervent about social justice, but to impress her, he join her on protest marches, suffer police beatings and puts his job at school at risk.
The drama of the story is heightened by character contrasts. While Robert comes from a strict family, Anna is open to sexual experimentation. Perhaps her rebellion springs from a childhood marred by abuse. I find it amazing how just s single sentence can encompass so much about life: “Before we slept she told me about her father, sobbing her heart out and choking half the time telling me how he used to come to her nights and do what he did and her mother lying in the next room knowing what was happening.”
Told with a good measure of self-deprecating humor, this story has the feel of a memoir, looking back at a crucial era and the way it forged the character of its players. It has the feel of a passionate longing. “Anna was waiting outside for me and I kissed her so long and held her so tight people were talking.”
Five stars. Highly recommended.
The drama of the story is heightened by character contrasts. While Robert comes from a strict family, Anna is open to sexual experimentation. Perhaps her rebellion springs from a childhood marred by abuse. I find it amazing how just s single sentence can encompass so much about life: “Before we slept she told me about her father, sobbing her heart out and choking half the time telling me how he used to come to her nights and do what he did and her mother lying in the next room knowing what was happening.”
Told with a good measure of self-deprecating humor, this story has the feel of a memoir, looking back at a crucial era and the way it forged the character of its players. It has the feel of a passionate longing. “Anna was waiting outside for me and I kissed her so long and held her so tight people were talking.”
Five stars. Highly recommended.
August 19, 2019
Great read
Equal parts honest, humorous and immersive. With his characteristically frank first person narrative and natural storytelling style, Colm Herron transports you to 1960s Derry and you feel like you’re right there with him in the middle of the crowd or living a home life full of the contradictions of changing times. His technique has become more refined with every book and Anna exemplifies the style he has crafted, with a driving narrative that kept me turning the pages right to the end.
Equal parts honest, humorous and immersive. With his characteristically frank first person narrative and natural storytelling style, Colm Herron transports you to 1960s Derry and you feel like you’re right there with him in the middle of the crowd or living a home life full of the contradictions of changing times. His technique has become more refined with every book and Anna exemplifies the style he has crafted, with a driving narrative that kept me turning the pages right to the end.
August 29, 2019
I have been a fan of Colm Herron for years. His writing style is that of grabbing a drink with an old friend as they tell you a story. Anna is no different. Every character no matter how secondary has a distinct voice that informs the narrative and our main character, Robert and his journey to actual adulthood. Even at 28, Robert hasn’t had a real coming of age yet.
Robert Browning, the product of a strict Catholic upbringing in a strict catholic country has followed the rules. He’s held onto his virginity like a crazed shopper at a Black Friday Sale holds onto the last Xbox in the store, that is, until he meets Anna who turns his world upside down.
Set in volatile 1960s Ireland, Robert isn’t the only one with growing pains. The Church is running the government and the younger folks want political change. Protests and riots consume the city of Derry, Ireland. Robert joins the cause to impress the alluring and beautiful Anna. His efforts don’t go unnoticed.
Anna not only introduces Robert to the power of protest, but to the magic of sex and bondage. This being Robert’s first adult relationship with a woman outside of his domineering mother, there are times when he feels he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Yet, if Robert is one this, he’s full of respect for people, and this sets him apart from the other young men Anna has been with. In a country run by the Bible, it’s hard to find men who don’t simultaneously place women on a pedestal while subjugating them.
Much like Herron’s novel, The Wake, Anna is a story of awakening, political, sexual, and spiritual.
Robert Browning, the product of a strict Catholic upbringing in a strict catholic country has followed the rules. He’s held onto his virginity like a crazed shopper at a Black Friday Sale holds onto the last Xbox in the store, that is, until he meets Anna who turns his world upside down.
Set in volatile 1960s Ireland, Robert isn’t the only one with growing pains. The Church is running the government and the younger folks want political change. Protests and riots consume the city of Derry, Ireland. Robert joins the cause to impress the alluring and beautiful Anna. His efforts don’t go unnoticed.
Anna not only introduces Robert to the power of protest, but to the magic of sex and bondage. This being Robert’s first adult relationship with a woman outside of his domineering mother, there are times when he feels he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Yet, if Robert is one this, he’s full of respect for people, and this sets him apart from the other young men Anna has been with. In a country run by the Bible, it’s hard to find men who don’t simultaneously place women on a pedestal while subjugating them.
Much like Herron’s novel, The Wake, Anna is a story of awakening, political, sexual, and spiritual.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews