Ciaran carson was born in 1948 in belfast, where he is professor of poetry at queens university. Feb 24, 2009 the tain by ciaran carson, 9780140455304, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Buy the paperback book the tain by ciaran carson at indigo. His shanks and his joints, every knuckle and angle and organ from head to foot, shook like a tree in the flood or a reed in the stream. It tells the story of a great cattleraid, the invasion of ulster by the armies of medb and ailill, queen and king of connacht, and their allies, seeking to. The tain by ciaran carson, 9780140455304, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook. It tells the story of a great cattleraid, the invasion of ulster by the armies of medb and ailill, queen and king of connacht, and their allies, seeking to carry off the great brown bull of cualige. Ciaran carson was born in 1948 in belfast, where he works as literature and traditional arts officer for the arts council of northern ireland. The irish poet and author best known in the united states for his wonderful autobiography the star factory 1998 offers a new translation of his countrys ebullient epic tale, also known as the cattle raid of cooley. Ciaran carsons new translation should spur this process on. His translation of dantes inferno won the oxford weidenfeld translation prize, and he was an honorary. He went on to transfigure his native city, and transfix his readers, with a rich. Opera et cetera, which was a uk poetry book society choice.
In order to rectify the matter, medb resolves to steal a better bull, the brown bull of cooley, from the province of ulster. In tain bo cuailnge, medb the queen of connacht goes to war against ulster for the sake of brown bull of cuailnge. The irish for no, belfast confetti, which won the irish book award and was shortlisted for the whitbread prize. The story of the emergence of a hero, a paean to the irish landscape, and a bawdy and contentious marital farce. Ciaran carson brings this seminal work of irish literature fully to life, capturing all of its visceral power in what acclaimed poets seamus heaney and paul muldoon individually called one of the best books of the year. The tain bo cualinge, centrepiece of the eighthcentury ulster cycle of heroic tales. He held the position of traditional arts officer of the arts council of northern ireland from 1975 to 1998 and was appointed director of the seamus heaney centre for poetry at queens. Oct 02, 2008 ciaran carson was born in belfast in 1948.
Feb 21, 2008 ciaran carson succeeds in translating the tain in a manner that it becomes an epic and understand why cu chulainn is a legendary hero to these people. Translated from the old irish epic tain bo cuailnge. The tain by ciaran carson, 9780140455304, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. It tells the story of a great cattleraid, the invasion of ulster by the armies of medb and ailill, queen and king of connacht, and their allies, seeking to carry off the. The hero of the tale is cuchulainn, the hound of ulster, who resists the invaders.
Sometimes heroic seems the wrong word for much of the worlds ancient. Ciaran carson was born in belfast into an irishspeaking family. Wonderful tribute to laureate of the troubles ciaran carson. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Free pdf download books by ciaran carson translator. Oct 02, 2008 the tain bo cualinge, centrepiece of the eighthcentury ulster cycle of heroic tales, is irelands great epic. It tells the story of a great cattleraid, the invasion of ulster by the armies of medb and ailill, queen and king of connacht, and their allies, seeking to carry off the great brown bull of cuailnge. Medb, the sly and envious queen of connacht, is on a. The poet ciaran carson, who has died aged 70 of cancer, grew up in the catholic falls road area of belfast. The tain translated with an introduction by ciaran carson viking.
There is no canonical tain, but several sources and recensions from several anonymous authors written in different styles. In its first translation in forty years, ciaran carson brings this seminal work of irish literature fully to life, capturing all of its visceral power in what acclaimed poets seamus heaney and paul muldoon individually called one of the best books of the year. Light and sturdy as a coracle, the poem spurts up from the heart of carsons oeuvre. But there are several reasons why carson might be expected to be tempted by this most formidable text. In its first translation in forty years, ciaran carson brings this seminal work of irish literature fully to life, capturing all of its visceral power in what. The tain a new translation of the tain bo cuailnge, translated by ciaran carsonthis is the translation that the tain so long has required to unpack its subtle. It tells the story of a great cattleraid, the invasion of ulster by the armies of medb and ailill, queen and king of connacht, and their allies, seeking to carry off the greatbrown bull of cuailnge. The tain bo cuailnge, centrepiece of the eighthcentury ulster cycle of. The irish for no, belfast confetti, which won the irish book award and. The tain is one of 80 tales making up the ulster cycle, which tells the story of the ulaid, the prehistoric inhabitants of northern ireland.
The tain bo cuailnge, centrepiece of the eighthcentury ulster cycle of heroic tales, is irelands greatest epic. Oct 30, 2019 ciaran carson, who has died aged 70, was a prolific poet, writer and musician who published 16 collections of poetry and 10 books of prose and translations during his lifetime carson was born in. Ciaran carsons retrospective starts with colm cille recited, a delightful translation from the middle irish. The tain begins when wife medb is forced to concede that her husband ailill possesses a better prize bull than she. The story of the emergence of a hero, a paean to the irish landscape, and a bawdy and contentious marital farce, the tain tells of a. The tain by ciaran carson overdrive rakuten overdrive. This barcode number lets you verify that youre getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. Ciaran carson presents an accessible and highly readable translation of the tain for a new generation of readers. Ciaran gerard carson 9 october 1948 6 october 2019 was a northern ireland born poet and novelist. S eliot prize for the best collection published in the uk and ireland. He has written two prose books, the pocket guide to irish traditional music and last nights fun and one novel, shamrock tea.
Back in the early 1980s, seamus heaney was on his way along dame street to speak at trinity college dublin. In his new translation, the tain, ciaran carson notes specifically that he. Oct 06, 2019 the poet ciaran carson, who has died aged 70 of cancer, grew up in the catholic falls road area of belfast. He states in his authors note for in the light of that these versions are not conventional translations. In fact, he states in the introduction that no attempt has been made to preserve the actual texture of the irish narrative. Medb, the sly and envious queen of connacht, is on a mission to steal the fabled brown bull of cooley from the men of ulster.
Peter mcdonald is delighted by ciaran carson s translation of the bloodandguts irish saga the tain peter mcdonald fri 26 oct 2007 19. Ciaran carson succeeds in translating the tain in a manner that it becomes an epic and understand why cu chulainn is a legendary hero to these people. Dec 12, 2007 the tain translated with an introduction by ciaran carson viking. In the light of by ciaran carson wake forest university. Nov 19, 2008 he has written two prose books, the pocket guide to irish traditional music and last nights fun and one novel, shamrock tea. Ciaran carson, who has died aged 70, was a prolific poet, writer and musician who published 16 collections of poetry and 10 books of prose and translations during his lifetime carson was born in. These are, alongside the writings of patrick, the earliest written literature of irish, apart. His father, william, was a postman and his mother, mary, worked in the linen mills. The tain bo cuailnge, centrepiece of the eighthcentury ulster cycle of heroic tales, is irelands nearest approach to a great epic. The translator, thomas kinsella, didnt even attempt to give an accurate translation from the original irishlanguage manuscripts. Translated from the irish epic tain bo cuailnge 1st.
Feb 24, 2009 ciaran carson succeeds in translating the tain in a manner that it becomes an epic and understand why cu chulainn is a legendary hero to these people. The tain by ciaran carson at abbeys bookshop 9780140455304. To make matters just a little more difficult, the tain uses a multitude of linguistic forms, from poetry and prose, to rhetorics unpunctuated blocks of ryhthmic prose. He was in the company of fellow poets ciaran carson and.
He was in the company of fellow poets ciaran carson and michael longley. Ciaran carsons tain the tain bo cuailnge the cattle raid of cooley is the most famous of a collection of interrelated old irish writings known collectively as the ulster cycle, tales of the uliad, a celtic people who give modern ulster its name. Synopsis the tain bo cuailnge, centrepiece of the eighthcentury ulster cycle of heroic tales, is irelands greatest epic. The tain is part of the ulster cycle of irish mythology and along with other similar works forms a distinct genre known as tain bo, or cattle raid. Peter mcdonald is delighted by ciaran carsons translation of the bloodandguts irish saga the tain. The kingdoms of connacht and ulster are preparing to do battle with each other. The first warpspasm seized cuchulainn, and made him into a monstrous thing, hideous and shapeless, unheard of. It tells the story of a great cattleraid, the invasion of ulster by the armies of medb and ailill, queen and king of connacht, and their allies, seeking to carry off the great brown bull of. The tain bo cualinge, centrepiece of the eighthcentury ulster cycle of heroic tales, is irelands great epic. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders.
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