"The gentle ache of a homeland, a place that I know but have never seen before. A hum and a glow of beautiful and broken people, the words of love, anger, loss, joy and heartache live beyond the pages."
— Hone Kauka ('Waiora', 'The Prophet')
This intriguing collection of stories by new Irish writer Brian O’Sullivan puts an original twist on foreign and familiar territory. Merging the passion and wit of Irish storytelling with the down-to-earth flavour of contemporary New Zealand, these stories will thrust you deep into the fascinating lives of:
- a ringmaster’s daughter who is too implausible to be true — despite all the evidence to the contrary
- an ageing nightclub gigolo in one last desperate bid to best a younger rival
- a Wellington consultant whose uncomplicated affair with a public service colleague proves anything but
- an Irish career woman in London stalked by a mysterious figure from her past
- a sleep-deprived translator struggling to make sense of bizarre events in a French city.
‘Leannán Sidhe&rsquo (pronounced Lan-awn Shee) is a fairy or otherworld creature in Irish folklore; a muse that accepts a lover’s affection in return for the ability to create a work of art of immense feeling.
Brian O’Sullivan was born in Cork, Ireland. He has travelled extensively, holding occupations as diverse as a microbiologist, barman, rabbit cleaner, and Gaelic language teacher. Brian’s stories have appeared in a number of literary journals and he now lives in Wellington, where he is advancing the world’s Gaelic-Maori speaking population with the assistance of his partner and children.