He stumbles on like a rumour of war..."

October 10, 2023 2:27 PM

'The War Horse', by Eavan Boland. "When studying Boland’s poetry, the students rightfully began to discuss their own struggles—and, remembering Yeats’s “I, being poor, have only my dreams”—were better able to resist the oppressive forces in their lives, to understand the strength needed to overcome provincial societal norms, to rally against antiquated ideas and histories that demand women conduct themselves in ways antithetical to a free-thinking person." from, “Shadows in the Story”: An Interview with Eavan Boland.

'Outside History'

Four Poems by Eavan Boland.

posted by clavdivs (4 comments total)

Thank you for these. I read EB years ago but haven't seen her more recent work. Both those and the interview have given me a lot to think about. I like what she says about the blanks in the history of working-class women in Ireland: "that lack of information, almost an erasure, was typical of life in Ireland back then, at least in that sort of hard-pressed circumstances ... women like my grandmother were not included in the story of Irish history. They lived it. They went through it. But they’re shadows in the story".

I like the way too she pushes back on the questions - not having left Ireland; nothing being effortless; not representing women; "I can only try to understand my own life. And I’ve barely managed to do that".
posted by paduasoy at 3:17 PM on October 10, 2023 [4 favorites]

Mod note: Fixed a typo and removed comments only commenting on that typo. Carry on.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 3:36 PM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

I loved the distinction between what it means to be an Irish power vs an American poet, starting from the expectation of audience literacy. It makes me reevaluate our respective cultures in a whole new way.
posted by toodleydoodley at 7:30 AM on October 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

This was enriching. Thank you
posted by From Bklyn at 12:25 PM on October 13, 2023