Jack Harte (Irish writer)
Encyclopedia
Jack Harte is an Irish short story writer and novelist. He founded the Irish Writers’ Union
and the Irish Writers’ Centre. He is the author of the novel Reflections in a Tar-Barrel.
, near Easkey in Co. Sligo. At an early age, his family moved to Lanesboro, Co. Longford
, where his blacksmith father found work with Bord na Mona. Harte draws on the experience of this uprooting in his novel In the Wake of the Bagger. Later he moved to Dublin where he worked at many jobs, including the civil service and teaching; for many years, he was principal of Lucan Community College
.
as "one of the most important story collections for some time". After publication of his second collection, Birds and Other Tails (1996), Harte was described as "a wonderful refreshing voice in contemporary Irish writing." Both these collections are out of print, although several of their stories are included in From Under Gogol’s Nose (2004).
Several short stories and collections have been published in translation. These include Birds and Selected Stories, published in Bulgarian in 2001, Dream of A Pyramid, published in Hindi in 2006, and From Under Gogol’s Nose, published in Russian in 2007.
. Harte and Conlon were born within ten months of each other in the townland of Killeenduff
, grew up together, and were close friends until Conlon's death.
Reflections in a Tar Barrel: Scotus Press, Dublin 2008;
(Bulgarian translation) Altera Publishing House, Sofia, 2007.
In the Wake of the Bagger, Scotus Press, Dublin, 2006;
(Bulgarian translation) Altera Publishing House, Sofia, 2010.
From Under Gogol’s Nose: Scotus Press, Dublin, 2004;
(Russian translation) Voskresenye Publishing House, Moscow, 2007.
Dream of a Pyramid, Rajkamal Prakashan, New Delhi, 2006 (a selection of stories, translated into Hindi).
Lament for the Birds, Scotus Press, Dublin 2004 (a CD of stories and songs).
And Here I Am, Poems by Lyubomir Levchev (translated by Jack Harte), Dedalus Press, Dublin, 2003.
Birds and Selected Stories, Orpheus Publishing House, Sofia, 2001 (a selection of stories, translated into Bulgarian).
Birds and Other Tails, Dedalus Press, Dublin, 1996.
Homage, Dedalus Press, Dublin, 1992.
Murphy In The Underworld, Glendale Press, Dublin 1986.
Irish Writers’ Union
The Irish Writers’ Union is an organization devoted to furthering the professional interests and needs of writers in various media in Ireland. The Union is based in the centre of Dublin at 19 Parnell Square.-History:...
and the Irish Writers’ Centre. He is the author of the novel Reflections in a Tar-Barrel.
Background
Harte was born in KilleenduffKilleenduff
Killeenduff is a townland within the boundaries of the Roman Catholic parish of Easky, County Sligo in Ireland. Located about a mile from the village of Easky, it's home to the Split Rock...
, near Easkey in Co. Sligo. At an early age, his family moved to Lanesboro, Co. Longford
County Longford
County Longford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford.Longford County Council is the local authority for the county...
, where his blacksmith father found work with Bord na Mona. Harte draws on the experience of this uprooting in his novel In the Wake of the Bagger. Later he moved to Dublin where he worked at many jobs, including the civil service and teaching; for many years, he was principal of Lucan Community College
Lucan Community College
Lucan Community College is located in Esker, Lucan, South Dublin in Ireland. The college opened in 1987, replacing Lucan Vocational School, which opened in the early 1950s....
.
Short stories
Harte has published several critically acclaimed collections of short stories. His first, Murphy in the Underworld (1986), was welcomed by the Sunday IndependentSunday Independent
The Sunday Independent is a broadsheet Sunday newspaper published in Ireland by Independent News and Media plc. The newspaper is edited by Aengus Fanning, and is the biggest selling Irish Sunday newspaper by a large margin ; average circulation of 291,323 between June 2004 and January 2005,...
as "one of the most important story collections for some time". After publication of his second collection, Birds and Other Tails (1996), Harte was described as "a wonderful refreshing voice in contemporary Irish writing." Both these collections are out of print, although several of their stories are included in From Under Gogol’s Nose (2004).
Several short stories and collections have been published in translation. These include Birds and Selected Stories, published in Bulgarian in 2001, Dream of A Pyramid, published in Hindi in 2006, and From Under Gogol’s Nose, published in Russian in 2007.
In The Wake of the Bagger
Harte’s first novel, In the Wake of the Bagger, was published in 2006. It was commissioned by Sligo Co Council under the Irish Government’s Per Cent for Art scheme. It tells the story of the Dowd family, who are uprooted from their home in Killeenduff and resettle as economic migrants in the Irish Midlands. It describes the tension between the traditional Irish way of life and the new realities of industrialization in rural Ireland. The novel was described in the Irish Independent as "one of the great books about Ireland". It was selected by Des Kenny as one of his 101 Irish Books You MUST Read – Kenny’s Choice.Reflections in a Tar-Barrel
Harte’s second novel is Reflections in a Tar-Barrel. It was first published in Bulgarian translation in 2007.Unravelling the Spiral - The Life and Work of Fred Conlon (1943-2005)
Unravelling the Spiral is an account of the life of Harte's cousin, sculptor Fred ConlonFred Conlon
Fred Conlon was an Irish sculptor.Born in Killeenduff, Easky, County Sligo, where he was schooled, Conlon won a five year scholarship to the National College of Art and Design in 1960. Domhnail O'Murchadha, assistant Professor of Sculpture, encouraged him to complete a Sculpture Diploma...
. Harte and Conlon were born within ten months of each other in the townland of Killeenduff
Killeenduff
Killeenduff is a townland within the boundaries of the Roman Catholic parish of Easky, County Sligo in Ireland. Located about a mile from the village of Easky, it's home to the Split Rock...
, grew up together, and were close friends until Conlon's death.
Arts organiser
Harte was an organiser for the arts in Ireland throughout the 1980s. In 1986, seeing the need for a national organisation, Harte founded the Irish Writers’ Union. The following year he secured funding from the Irish Government to establish the Irish Writers’ Centre, of which he has been chairman since 2009.Publications
Unravelling the Spiral - The Life and Work of Fred Conlon (1943-2005), Scotus Press, Dublin, 2010.Reflections in a Tar Barrel: Scotus Press, Dublin 2008;
(Bulgarian translation) Altera Publishing House, Sofia, 2007.
In the Wake of the Bagger, Scotus Press, Dublin, 2006;
(Bulgarian translation) Altera Publishing House, Sofia, 2010.
From Under Gogol’s Nose: Scotus Press, Dublin, 2004;
(Russian translation) Voskresenye Publishing House, Moscow, 2007.
Dream of a Pyramid, Rajkamal Prakashan, New Delhi, 2006 (a selection of stories, translated into Hindi).
Lament for the Birds, Scotus Press, Dublin 2004 (a CD of stories and songs).
And Here I Am, Poems by Lyubomir Levchev (translated by Jack Harte), Dedalus Press, Dublin, 2003.
Birds and Selected Stories, Orpheus Publishing House, Sofia, 2001 (a selection of stories, translated into Bulgarian).
Birds and Other Tails, Dedalus Press, Dublin, 1996.
Homage, Dedalus Press, Dublin, 1992.
Murphy In The Underworld, Glendale Press, Dublin 1986.
Additional references
- Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol 319, British and Irish Short-Fiction Writers (1945–2000).
- Dictionary of Irish Literature – Robert Hogan, Aldwich Press, London, 1996.
- Mercier Companion to Irish Literature – McMahon and O’Donoghue, Mercier Press, Cork, 1998.
- Oxford Concise Companion to Irish Literature – Welch, Oxford University Press, 2000
External links
- Jack Harte’s personal website
- The Scotus Press
- website of the Irish Writers’ Union founded by Jack Harte
- website of the Irish Writers’ Centre founded by Harte
- 'The Past is another Country' – review by Anthony Glavin, Sunday Business Post, 9 July 2006.
- 'Vivid portrait of '50s Ireland' – review by Lucille Redmond, Irish Independent, 1 July 2006.
- http://www.podcasts.ie/featured-writers/featured-prose-writers/jack-harte - interview with Jack Harte