Books in the Literature series

The Odyssey is rightly celebrated as a story that goes far beyond the scope of epic poetry. It is an open window to an entire era and its social systems as well as its theological, cultural, economic and political structures, while running simultaneously in the register of the earthly and of the divine. Within The Odyssey, the episode of the Sirens stands out as an exceptionally evocative example of this kind of achievement. This volume is dedicated to exploring the myriad levels of analysis that are allowed by this famous episode, following in the footsteps of celebrated readers of The Odyssey such as Adorno, Horkheimer, Luk¿, Auerbach, Ker¿, Bloch, Auden, Pound, Tolstoj, Elster and Steiner. By looking at the brief encounter between Ulysses and the Sirens, the reader of this volume will discover the roots of our modern concept of middle class rationality and its profound ramifications stretching between economy, politics, and the divine.

Writing a biography about Pessoa is a seemingly impossible task. The great Portuguese poet did not have just one life, but his existence virtually exploded in over a hundred different personalities. Only by placing oneself close to Pessoa, only by becoming almost one with him, is it possible to trace the life of this poet who was himself a multitude. Jos¿aulo Cavalcanti has done such a thing, sewing together a path that runs through Pessoa's multiple voices and personalities, seamlessly moving in and out of the poet's work, daily habits and interactions. Following the great success of the Brazilian edition, "Pessoa. A quasi Memoir" is the first English translation of the book, and it provides new insights on the complex nature of the Portuguese poet.

In recent decades crime fiction has enjoyed a creative boom. Although, as Alison Young argues in her book Imagining Crime (1996), crime stories remain strongly identified with specific locations, the genre has acquired a global reach, illuminating different corners of the world for the delectation of international audiences. The recent fashion for Nordic noir has highlighted the process by which the crime story may be franchised, as it is transposed from one culture to another. Crime fiction has thus become a vehicle for cultural exchange in the broadest of senses; not only does it move with apparent ease from one country to the next, and in and out of different languages, but it is also reproduced through various cultural media. What is involved in these processes of transference? Do stories lose or gain value? Or are they transformed into something else altogether? How does the crime story that originates in a specific society or culture come to articulate aspects of very different societies and cultures? And what are the repercussions of this cultural permeability?

Patrick Galvin, one of Ireland most distinctive and original poets, was born in Cork in 1927. Author of seven collections of poetry his work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies and has been broadcast by the BBC and RTE. Galvin is master of the understatement combining black humour with intense compassion to create a poetry that is directly political and humane, expressed with conviction in an effortless style of great emotional depth. His first collection of poetry Heart of Grace was published in 1957 followed by the mould-breaking Christ in London. Other collections include The Wood-Burners, Man on the Porch and Folk Tales For the General, a Poetry Ireland Book Choice. His most recent works The Mad Women of Cork and The Death of Art O'Leary were published in 1994. Robin Skelton in a review for The Guardian states that Galvin is 'one of the few really original poets of our generation'. Galvin is also a well known playwright and was Resident Dramatist at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast from 1973 to 1979. His awards include a Leverhulme Fellowship in Drama and the prestigious Irish American Cultural Award for Poetry in 1995. This single volume supports the sentiments of many critics who believe his work is a significant contribution to poetry in Ireland.