Plays 1: The Lament for Arthur Cleary / In High Germany / The Holy Ground / Blinded by the Light

by Dermot Bolger

The first collection of plays from one of Ireland's most accomplished contemporary writers

This volume contains four plays: The Lament for Arthur Cleary: "Theatrically rich and socially powerful, it takes on the lineaments of an epic voyage, a voyage into the dark heart of a city where Irish theatre has seldom been before" (Irish Times); In High Germany: "Thoughtful, comic, sad and provocative, this monologue of a lost and altered heritage … These two plays [In High Germany and The Holy Ground] are cogent manifestations of a changing Irish world" (Irish Times); The Holy Ground: "A tour de force. It's stream of consciousness theatre at its best … [which] develops a pace until the listener is hanging on to every syllable" (Sunday Press); Blinded by the Light: "Manically madcap and hilariously funny, it canters in a bawdy romp onto the stage, heralding the arrival of a unique comic writing talent. Energetic, perfectly timed and brilliantly observed" (Irish Press)

 

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Dermot Bolger is an Irish novelist, playwright and poet born in Finglas, a suburb of Dublin.

His work is often concerned with the articulation of the experiences of working-class characters who, for various reasons, feel alienated from society. Bolger questions the relevance of traditional nationalist concepts of Irishness, arguing for a more plural and inclusive society.

In the late 1970s Bolger set up Raven Arts Press, which he ran until 1992 when he co-founded New Island Press.