Valley of the Squinting Windows
 | |
| Author | Brinsley MacNamara |
|---|---|
| Country | Ireland |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Published | 1918 (Maunsel & Co.) |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 212 p. (first edition) |
| ISBN | 0-947962-01-8 (paperback edition) |
| OCLC | 14521257 |
Valley of the Squinting Windows is a novel by Brinsley MacNamara (born John Weldon), set in the fictional village of "Garradrimna", County Meath, Ireland.
While McNamara insisted that Garradrimna could represent any village in Ireland, geographical landmarks mentioned in the book and correspondences between its characters and his neighbors suggest that Garradrimna is based on the author's hometown Delvin, County Westmeath. The book does not refer to the latter by name, however, and MacNamara even located Garradrimna in neighboring Meath to undermine the connection.
Plot
In the Keeping up with the Joneses theme, the novel tells a story of rural life, emphasizing the power of negative gossip in an inward-looking society.
Reception
Hostility toward the work in MacNamara's native Delvin led to the book's burning shortly after its publication. The stir caused the author's schoolmaster father, James, to be boycotted. In response, Weldon, snr., initiated a high-profile court case against those who thought that they had been described in the novel.[1]
MacNamara's novel has been reprinted several times, particularly when interest in the topic re-emerges. Valley of the squinting windows has become a colloquial term, particularly in Ireland.
Release details
- 1918, Dublin, Maunsel & Co., hardback
- 1918, London, Sampson Low, Marston, hardback
- 1919, New York, Brentano's, hardback
- 1976, Ireland, Anvil Books ISBN 0-900068-35-3, Pub date September 1976, paperback
- 1984, Ireland, Anvil Books ISBN 0-900068-83-3, Pub date 11 July 1984, paperback
- 1984, Ireland, Anvil Books ISBN 0-900068-82-5, Pub date 11 July 1984, hardback
- 1985, Ireland, Anvil Books ISBN 0-947962-01-8, Pub date September 1985, paperback
References
- ↑ O'Farrell, Padraic. The Burning of Brinsley MacNamara. Dublin: Lilliput Press, 1990