Cutting to the Point: Essays and Objections, 1994-2003

For almost forty years Desmond Fennell has written lucidly and cogently on a variety of issues concerning Ireland and the Western world, often clashing with the liberal-revisionist ascendancy. In this new collection he ranges across a broad spectrum, delving into literature, art, history, religion, politics, nationalism, linguistics, academia, and the media, as well as taking the temperature of Irish society and Western civilization in general. Whether he is writing about a train journey across Europe, cleansing Irish literature of Irishness, or his translation of a Rilke poem, he writes with wit, reflection, and an unwavering eye for things often unsaid.