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Sat 12 Dec 2009Essential artists of the normal
SHORT STORIES: HEATHER INGMANreviews Davy Byrnes Stories: The Six Prize-Winning Stories from the 2009 Davy Byrnes Irish Writing Award. As selected by Richard Ford,The Stinging Fly Press, 149pp, €9.99
THE NARRATOR of Éilís Ní Dhuibhne’s story Oleanderdescribes the short stories of the American writer Richard Ford as “Stories that linger over the coffee, take their time”. Ford’s ability to slow life down, to compel his readers to take notice of details that might otherwise escape their notice makes him an ideal choice of judge for an Irish short story competition, since the Irish short story, in its most distinctive form, is understated, concerned with the small details of everyday life, often looking backwards rather than forward.
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