Damian Kelleher - Literary reviews and essays

The latest addition to the website is my review of Nigerian author Ifesinachi Okoli-Okpagu's short story, Ugobenna.

Ugobenna is the story of Silvanus, a hard working father who comes into conflict with the endemic corruption of Nigeria and, by extension, his son's descent into criminal, immoral activities. It is the story of Silvanus' soul, and how a good man turns bad without wanting to.

You can read the review here.

Ugobenna by Ifesinachi Okoli-Okpagu is a short story from Sentinel Nigeria - Issue 8.

The latest addition to the website is my review of Romanian author Dan Lungu's short story, Mr. Escu's Adventure.

Mr. Escu's Adventure is an absurdist romp through Bucharest as seen through the eyes of Mr. Escu, himself no strange to an odd situation. Dan Lungu effectively mixes comedy with absurdity. The best character? Bucharest itself.

You can read the review here.

Mr. Escu's Adventure by Dan Lungu is a short story from Bucharest Tales from the New Europe Writers series

Other stories from Bucharest Tales from the New Europe Writers series include:
---Bican, Florin - Penguins

Other titles by Dan Lungu under review include:
---To the Cemetery

The reviews for this book were made possible thanks to a kind gift from my friend Bogdan Suceavă.

The latest addition to the website is my review of Brazilian author Antônio Xerxenesky's short story, Seizing Cervantes.

Seizing Cervantes is an excellent story, effectively marrying contemporary cultural and political criticism with artistry and wit. It manages to be both literary and intellectual while remaining funny and relevant. Definitely recommended.

You can read the review here.

Seizing Cervantes is a short story from the Words Without Borders January 2012 issue, Apocalypse.

The latest addition to the website is my review of Slovenian author Andrej Blatnik's short story, Too Close Together.

Too Close Together will be familiar to readers of Blatnik: nameless characters, their relationship as the focal point, the acceptance that interaction is a process of getting things wrong while trying to get them right - both your own feeling and theirs. What's new is the thematic backdrop of war, which allows Blatnik to intensify the already deeply felt emotions of his characters.

You can read the review here.

Too Close Together by Andrej Blatnik is a short story from Absinthe: New European Writing - Issue 1.

Other titles by Andrej Blatnik under review include:
---You Do Understand

The latest addition to the website is my review of Australian author John George Lang's short story, The Ghost Upon the Rail.

The Ghost Upon the Rail can lay claim to being one of Australia's very first detective and ghost stories, by one of Australia's very first novelists. The story itself, however, suffers from a lack of directed narration; a Poirot or Maigret reacting to, and being a participant in, the story, would have helped to create suspense and interest. A failed attempt, but historically interesting.

You can read the review here.

The latest addition to the website is my review of Georgian author David Dephy's short story, The Chair.

The Chair is an insightful examination of the writer's talent as seen separate from the writer. The Chair is short, sharp and insightful and its impact, though telegraphed very early, retains its impact.

You can read the review here.

Other titles from David Dephy under review include:
---Before the End

Agnomia by Slovak author Róbert Gál is a short piece from The Dalkey Archive Press publication, Best European Fiction 2012 (edited by Aleksandar Hemon). This review is part of a series intending to examine each story from the collection, in an effort to broaden awareness of both the project itself, and the excellent array of authors contained within.

Agnomia struggles to understand the artist's task, their place in the world, and the inherent futility of these efforts. Gál understands that literature is in crisis, has always been in crisis, and will remain forever so - and that it is the artist's responsibility to remain on the knife's edge of crisis and genius.

You can read the review here.

Other titles by Róbert Gál under review include:
---Signs and Symptoms

Other stories from the Dalkey Archive Press' anthology, Best European Fiction 2012, include:
---Love
------Belgium (Flemish): de Martelaere, Patricia - My Hand is Exhausted
------Croatian: Hrgović, Maja - Zlatka
------Spanish (Galician): Fernández Paz, Agustín - This Strange Lucidity
---Desire
------Polish: Rudnicki, Janusz - The Sorrows of Idiot Augustus
------Irish: Rosenstock, Gabriel - “...everything emptying into white”
---Elsewhere
------Hungarian: Bán, Zsófia - When There Were Only Animals
------Swiss (Rhaeto-Romanic and German): Camenisch, Arno - Sez Ner
------Portuguese: Zink, Rui - Tourist Destination
---War
------Georgian: Dephy, David - Before the End
------Irish: Hogan, Desmond - Kennedy
------Russian: Davydov, Danila - The Telescope
---Thought
------Czech: Kratochvil, Jiří - I, Loshaď
------Estonian: Kõomägi, Armin - Logisticians Anonymous

Logisticians Anonymous by Estonian author Armin Kõomägi is a short story from The Dalkey Archive Press publication, Best European Fiction 2012 (edited by Aleksandar Hemon). This review is part of a series intending to examine each story from the collection, in an effort to broaden awareness of both the project itself, and the excellent array of authors contained within.

Logisticians Anonymous is the story of a man enamoured with reducing inefficiencies, eliminating redundancy and containing costs. He catalogues, determines data points, and ruthlessly alters his life to be more effective. But there's something not quite right with living like this, though for the life of him he can't see it. Kõomägi's story recalls Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal in its biting satire. Logisticians Anonymous is one of the strongest pieces in the collection.

You can read the review here.

Other stories from the Dalkey Archive Press' anthology, Best European Fiction 2012, include:
---Love
------Belgium (Flemish): de Martelaere, Patricia - My Hand is Exhausted
------Croatian: Hrgović, Maja - Zlatka
------Spanish (Galician): Fernández Paz, Agustín - This Strange Lucidity
---Desire
------Polish: Rudnicki, Janusz - The Sorrows of Idiot Augustus
------Irish: Rosenstock, Gabriel - “...everything emptying into white”
---Elsewhere
------Hungarian: Bán, Zsófia - When There Were Only Animals
------Swiss (Rhaeto-Romanic and German): Camenisch, Arno - Sez Ner
------Portuguese: Zink, Rui - Tourist Destination
---War
------Georgian: Dephy, David - Before the End
------Irish: Hogan, Desmond - Kennedy
------Russian: Davydov, Danila - The Telescope
---Thought
------Czech: Kratochvil, Jiří - I, Loshaď

I, Loshaď by Czech author Jiří Kratochvil is a short story from The Dalkey Archive Press publication, Best European Fiction 2012 (edited by Aleksandar Hemon). This review is part of a series intending to examine each story from the collection, in an effort to broaden awareness of both the project itself, and the excellent array of authors contained within.

I, Loshaď is the story of a hyper-intelligent horse during World War II. The horse is able to understand human speech and communicate with people, and it knows and loves the great philosophers, particularly Kant. Kratochvil uses the increasingly arrogant horse as an effective metaphor for the fall of man during the horrific violence of the Eastern Front.

You can read the review here.

Other stories from the Dalkey Archive Press' anthology, Best European Fiction 2012, include:
---Love
------Belgium (Flemish): de Martelaere, Patricia - My Hand is Exhausted
------Croatian: Hrgović, Maja - Zlatka
------Spanish (Galician): Fernández Paz, Agustín - This Strange Lucidity
---Desire
------Polish: Rudnicki, Janusz - The Sorrows of Idiot Augustus
------Irish: Rosenstock, Gabriel - “...everything emptying into white”
---Elsewhere
------Hungarian: Bán, Zsófia - When There Were Only Animals
------Swiss (Rhaeto-Romanic and German): Camenisch, Arno - Sez Ner
------Portuguese: Zink, Rui - Tourist Destination
---War
------Georgian: Dephy, David - Before the End
------Irish: Hogan, Desmond - Kennedy
------Russian: Davydov, Danila - The Telescope

The Telescope by Russian author Danila Davydov is a short story from The Dalkey Archive Press publication, Best European Fiction 2012 (edited by Aleksandar Hemon). This review is part of a series intending to examine each story from the collection, in an effort to broaden awareness of both the project itself, and the excellent array of authors contained within.

The Telescope is a curious story involving an exploded bus, a man blinded with glass by the explosion, a small boy, and an invasion by (potentially) space invaders. The manner in which it is written suggests a coherent perspective of bewildered yet truthful recollection, and yet... there's enough hints (well, the aliens), to suggest that things are far more than they seem. Confusing in the very best way.

You can read the review here.

Other stories from the Dalkey Archive Press' anthology, Best European Fiction 2012, include:
---Love
------Belgium (Flemish): de Martelaere, Patricia - My Hand is Exhausted
------Croatian: Hrgović, Maja - Zlatka
------Spanish (Galician): Fernández Paz, Agustín - This Strange Lucidity
---Desire
------Polish: Rudnicki, Janusz - The Sorrows of Idiot Augustus
------Irish: Rosenstock, Gabriel - “...everything emptying into white”
---Elsewhere
------Hungarian: Bán, Zsófia - When There Were Only Animals
------Swiss (Rhaeto-Romanic and German): Camenisch, Arno - Sez Ner
------Portuguese: Zink, Rui - Tourist Destination
---War
------Georgian: Dephy, David - Before the End
------Irish: Hogan, Desmond - Kennedy