Rebel by Vocation

From 1940 to 1954, The Bell was notable as an outspoken liberal voice at a time of political and intellectual stagnation. While primarily a literary magazine, it is now mostly discussed in the context of its hard political criticism. Carson has unearthed a wealth of sources to put The Bell in its social as well as literary contexts. -- .

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This is a comprehensive study of one of the most influential literary groups in post-independence Ireland: the writers and editors of the literary magazine The Bell. Seán O'Faoláin and the generation of writers that matured in the shadows of W. B. Yeats and James Joyce dominated the literary landscape in Ireland in the build-up to, and during, the Second World War. This is their story, as told through the history of one journal: The Bell. Working with previously unpublished archival material, this study looks to illuminate the relationships, disputes and loves of the contributors to Ireland's most important 'little magazine' under the guiding influence of its founding editor, Seán O'Faoláin. In doing so, it sheds new light on O'Faoláin's early influences and his attitude towards the Church and the state in Ireland. -- .