Arthur Broomfield

Arthur Broomfield, in a collection of short stories that is sure to raise eyebrows, goes deep into the reality of life in contemporary Ireland. In his latest work, set in a rural landscape, Broomfield creates 'the event, ' that changes the way we read - not just the story - but the changes that are taking place in Irish life. In stories that range from controversial insights into a fictious prison, and the mysterious appearance of rosary beads in a Protestant  youth's  jacket, to an after-hours double murder, Broomfield's authenticity is evident in his  gift for dialogue;  his humour,  his poet's ear, breathe life into his morally vague characters.
Sometimes robust, as in 'A night in Portallen, ' or the heartbreakingly sensitive, 'The Martins, '   his stories create a prism that will revolutionize our way of seeing Ireland in the twenty-first century.