Sir, - As an ignorant stunt, the book-burning session arranged for Angela's Ashes will take some beating. Frank McCourt is perfectly entitled to depict Limerick any way he sees fit. He obviously had a miserable poverty-stricken childhood, and has a right to tell us that if he wishes.
This stunt will simply mean more sales for the book, as people who hadn't even considered reading it may now wonder what it contains that is so terrible. Mr McCourt is right to refer to Nazi book-burnings of the 1930s, although those were ideologically motivated, as opposed to financially or publicity-oriented.
Of course the people who wish to burn copies of the book will have to purchase it first, which means more royalties for the author and increased revenue and exposure for the publishers. I suppose prospective burners could steal a copy, but that would be wrong. So is book-burning. - Yours, etc., Conor Hickey,
Phibsboro, Dublin 7.