A History of Irish Autobiography

A History of Irish Autobiography is the first critical survey of autobiographical self-representation in Ireland from its recoverable beginnings to the twenty-first century. The book draws on a wealth of original scholarship by leading experts to provide an authoritative examination of life-writing in the English and Irish languages. Beginning with a comprehensive overview of autobiography theory and criticism in Ireland, this History guides the reader through seventeen centuries of Irish achievement in autobiography, a category that incorporates diverse literary forms, from religious tracts and travelogues to memoirs, diaries and digital narratives. Chapters are structured around key subgenres, themes, texts and practitioners, and each features a guide to recommended further reading. The volume’s extensive coverage is complemented by a chronology of Irish autobiographical writing from the fifth century to the contemporary era, the first of its kind to be published.