William Trevor, Vol. 501

Irish novelist and short-story writer William Trevor ranks with the most compelling contemporary authors exploring the workings of evil in human life and the paradoxical nature of redemption. From the Old Boys (1964) to The Silence in the Garden (1988) - a subtle portrayal of child murder as emblem of colonial exploitation - and Two Lives (1991) - with its terrorist attack and transformed wilderness - Trevor has produced a significant body of work, sometimes comic, sometimes disturbing, and always finely crafted. His contribution to literature wins him high praise from critics and a wide readership on both sides of the Atlantic. In this comprehensive study, Kristin Morrison examines the intellectual framework of all Trevor's fiction, showing how his novels and short stories are governed by a "system of correspondences" wherein "political acts, historical events, and moral states are inextricably linked: public and private worlds mirror each other". Individual chapters consider Trevor's image of the garden as simultaneously a lost Eden and a potential Paradise; his preoccupation with evil and increasing emphasis on the connections between political violence and personal cruelty; the importance of Irish history, settings, and characters throughout his writing career; his tragicomic vision and primary rhetorical strategies; his predominant character types, especially "children, celibates, and holy fools". Morrison positions Trevor's fiction by comparing it with the work of authors as diverse as John Banville, Brian Moore, Toni Morrison, and Jonathan Swift. Rare interview material contributes importantly to the picture of Trevor as an unequivocally Irish writer. An informed and luciddiscussion, William Trevor will prove highly useful to both scholars and general readers interested in contemporary English and Irish fiction.Morrison, Kristin is the author of 'William Trevor, Vol. 501', published 1993 under ISBN 9780805770322 and ISBN 0805770321.