Contents
“Editor’s Note” – Brian J. Showers
“Towards an Irish Gothic: Part One” – Albert Power
“Spirits of Another Sort: The Supernatural Theatre of Conor McPherson” – David Longhorn
“The Charm of Old Women’s Tales: Le Fanu’s Use of Oral Tradition” – Jacqueline Simpson
“Adventures of a Dream Child: Forrest Reid’s Tom Barber Trilogy” – Dan Studer
“Four-Leaf Clovers” – Michael Dirda
“Reviews”
Ciaran Foy’s Citadel – Bernice M. Murphy
Derek John’s The Aesthete Hagiographer – Rob Brown
Brian J. Showers’s Old Albert – John Kenny
John Connolly’s The Wrath of Angels – Bertrand Lucat
“Notes on Contributors”
“Book Stalls”
Editor’s Note #1
“To my young fellow-countrymen, at home and in exile, in the cottage and the mansion, amidst the green fields and in the crowded cities, soon to be the men of Ireland, I dedicate this little book . . .” – Alexander M. Sullivan, The Story of Ireland (1883)
This journal’s inception arose from a series of questions that I’ve long pondered and often asked others: Is there a tradition—a traceable pedigree or lineage of dialogue—in Irish fantastic literature? And if so, in what way might it be defined? How has it developed over the centuries? What are the connections, if any, between the writings of Charles Maturin and Elizabeth Bowen? Or Charlotte Riddell and Mervyn Wall? And what can be said of Irish literary sensibilities carried abroad in the writings of expatriate authors—and let’s face it, there’s a lot of them—as they encountered new ideas and cultures? Fitz-James O’Brien emigrated to New York where he joined the Bohemian set, Bram Stoker spent half of his life in England working for Sir Henry Irving, while Lafcadio Hearn ended up in Tokyo (by way of everywhere else). Is there an underlying gestalt—something between these lives and between their lines—that unifies these authors?
Maybe these are naïve questions. On the other hand, Ireland has made monolithic contributions to the fantastic genres, contributions the effects of which have resounded far beyond these shores — and indeed echoed back. Who can deny Maturin’s final word on the Gothic with Melmoth the Wanderer? Or the effects that Stoker’s Dracula had (and, good lord, still has!) on the horror genre? And what serious purveyor of fantasy isn’t aware of Lord Dunsany’s sublime novel The King of Elfland’s Daughter? Certainly there’s something here to talk about. The Green Book‘s mission is, I hope, a simple one: to provide a venue in which to explore the wider idea of the Irish gothic, supernatural, and fantastic in literature.
Naturally, the notion of “Irish” means a great many things to as many people; and so as with this modern nation of Ireland, I think we will best be served by a far-reaching definition of inclusion.
In this inaugural issue, Albert Power gives a back-bone to our (hopefully unanswerable!) question in part one of “Towards an Irish Gothic”, what will no doubt be a landmark survey of the Irish fantastic; David Longhorn explores the supernatural theatre of Conor McPherson, while folklorist Jacqueline Simpson looks at the use of oral tradition in Le Fanu’s Irish tales. Dan Studer examines the fantastic novels of innocence and experience of Belfast author Forrest Reid, and finally Michael Dirda extols the virtues of three overlooked Irish fantasists: Lord Dunsany, Mervyn Wall, and James Stephens — it is notable, perhaps, that even in Ireland the works of these three writers are disproportionately ignored; their titles scarcely available in Irish bookshops.
And so, I would like to welcome you to The Green Book, and invite you to join us in our explorations . . .
Brian J. Showers
Rathmines, Dublin
24 February 2013
Brian J. Showers
Brian J. Showers is originally from Madison, Wisconsin. He has written short stories, articles, and reviews for magazines such as Rue Morgue, Ghosts & Scholars, and Supernatural Tales. His short story collection, The Bleeding Horse, won the Children of the Night Award in 2008. He is also the author of Literary Walking Tours of Gothic Dublin (2006), the co-editor of Reflections in a Glass Darkly: Essays on J. Sheridan Le Fanu (2011), and the editor of The Green Book. Showers also edited the first two volumes of Uncertainties, and co-edited with Jim Rockhill, the Ghost Story Award-winning anthology Dreams of Shadow and Smoke. He lives in Dublin, Ireland.
Read more
The Green Book 1 (Bealtaine 2013) edited by Brian J. Showers. Cover art by Bill Howe (“If I Wait Here Long Enough, Something Might Happen”, 2013); cover design by Meggan Kehrli; editor’s note by Brian J. Showers; copyedited by Jim Rockhill; typeset by Brian J. Showers; published by Swan River Press.
Paperback: Published on 26 April 2013; limited to 350 copies; 108 pages; digitally printed on 80 gsm paper; ISSN: 2009-6089.

About The Green Book
Aimed at a general readership and published twice-yearly, The Green Book is Swan River Press’s house journal that features commentaries, articles, and reviews on Irish Gothic, Supernatural and Fantastic literature.
Certainly favourites such as Bram Stoker and John Connolly will come to mind, but hopefully The Green Book also will serve as a pathway to Ireland’s other notable fantasists: like Fitz-James O’Brien, Charlotte Riddell, Lafcadio Hearn, William Allingham, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Cheiro, Harry Clarke, Dorothy Macardle, Lord Dunsany, Elizabeth Bowen, C. S. Lewis, Mervyn Wall, Conor McPherson . . . and this list is by no means exhaustive.
It should be noted that the word “Irish” in the journal’s title should be understood as inclusive rather than exclusive. The Green Book will also feature essays on Irish themes—even if by non-Irish authors. We hope that you will find something of interest here, for there is much to explore.
The Green Book is open for submissions.
Praise for The Green Book
“A welcome addition to the realm of accessible nonfiction about supernatural horror.” – Ellen Datlow
“Serious aficionados of the weird should also consider subscribing to The Green Book.” – Michael Dirda
“[A] wonderful exploration of a weird little corner of literature, and a great example of how careful editing can make even the most obscure subject fascinating and entertaining beyond all expectations.” – The Agony Column
“Eminently readable . . . [an] engaging little journal that treads the path between accessibility and academic depth with real panache.” – Black Static
“The overall feel here is not of fusty excavation in a small corner of the literary world, but of exploration on a broad front that continues to unearth intriguing finds.” – Supernatural Tales