Irish Women Ghost Writers

The below is a response sent to the editor of the Irish Times and published on their website on 2 November 2024:

Dear Editor,

I note the recent article, “Irish Women Ghost Writers: Rediscovering Lost Voices” (30 Oct. 2024) by Jen Herron.

Characterising Irish women ghost story writers as “lost”, “forgotten”, or otherwise is misleading.

That the general reading public is not aware of particular writers does not indicate they are “lost” or “forgotten”. Indeed, the popular literary mode known as the ghost story has enjoyed a decades-long history of scholarship and publication, particularly in independent publishing. I point to the efforts of those such as Montague Summers, Lady Asquith, E. F. Bleiler, Mike Ashley, Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Richard Dalby, Melissa Edmundson, Hugh Lamb, Maria Giakaniki, Janis Dawson, among others, who have devoted themselves to this field.

Publishers such as Dover, Ash-Tree, Arkham House, Sarob, Nezu, Handheld, Tartarus, etc. have long championed women writers of the supernatural. Herron will be delighted to learn that Dublin’s own Swan River Press publishes a series entitled “Strange Stories by  Irish Women”. In fact, the names Herron lists in her article mirrors very closely the contents of our anthology, Bending to Earth, reviewed in your publication (29 June 2019): Katharine Tynan, Ethna Carbery, Rosa Mulholland, B. M. Croker, L. T. Meade, Lady Wilde, Clotilde Graves, Dora Sigerson Shorter, Beatrice Grimshaw, and the much-celebrated and decidedly not “lost” Charlotte Riddell.

While the general popularity of the ghost story may not be as pervasive as an enthusiast might wish—though less so this time of year!—it is always enjoyable to read accounts of those who discover for themselves the pleasing terrors of this established and celebrated literary tradition. There is more work yet to be done . . .

Sincerely,
Brian J. Showers
Swan River Press

Anyone who would like to investigate more closely these remarkable writers, you are invited to have a look at this poster we designed entitled “Strange Stories by Irish Women“. And if you’re still looking for more, our journal, The Green Book: Writings on Irish Gothic, Supernatural and Fantastic Literature, running now for over a decade, features not only all those names listed in Herron’s article, but additional ones including Althea Gyles, Ella Young, Charlotte Stoker, Keith Fleming, Dorothy Macardle, Anna Maria Hall, Mary Frances McHugh and others.