‘Delightful' reading by author Emma Donohgue at Fanshawe
Last Thursday, January 25, The Letters and Arts Society of Fanshawe presented a reading by London author Emma Donoghue from her latest work, a compilation of short stories, entitled Touchy Subjects. Always game for free entertainment, I went expecting at least to learn something of the author of whom I had been previously unaware, but also apprehensive that I would encounter a slightly disappointing, dare I say Atwoodesque, monotonous droning as opposed to performance.
To my delight, the only disappointment was the tragically poor attendance on behalf of my fellow students (yes, that means you). Donoghue was indeed delightful, thoroughly entertaining and personified the incredibly approachable yet academic quality found throughout her writing.
Donoghue was born in Ireland and came to Canada in 1998. By her own admission, she has never had “an honest job,” having the ability to call herself a full-time professional writer since university. Her prolific and award winning bibliography includes plays, a re-working of traditional fairy tales with a female bent, literary histories, fiction novels and of course short stories.
Much of Donoghue's subject matter stems from her study of and fascination with life in the British Isles during the 18th Century; a time known for its restrictive mores and, consequently, numerous taboos. While not set in this time period, her latest work, Touchy Subjects, deals with many of the taboos of our own, contemporary society.
The selection she read during her appearance, Good Deed follows the thoughts of a man in the throes of attempting a charitable act toward a homeless man. Loosely based on the biblical account of The Good Samaritan, Donoghue's version explores the relationship between one's good conscience and self-consciousness. Other stories from the collection address such socially-icky subjects as female facial hair and what Donoghue deems “social lying” with several of the stories being loosely based on other biblical tales. The whole collection is rife with endearing humility and humour that will have readers confronting their social fears and learning to laugh at them.
A selection of Emma Donoghue's books, including Touchy Subjects, is currently available at the campus bookstore. For those who would like to learn more about Emma Donoghue, visit her website at www.emmadonoghue.com.
To my delight, the only disappointment was the tragically poor attendance on behalf of my fellow students (yes, that means you). Donoghue was indeed delightful, thoroughly entertaining and personified the incredibly approachable yet academic quality found throughout her writing.
Donoghue was born in Ireland and came to Canada in 1998. By her own admission, she has never had “an honest job,” having the ability to call herself a full-time professional writer since university. Her prolific and award winning bibliography includes plays, a re-working of traditional fairy tales with a female bent, literary histories, fiction novels and of course short stories.
Much of Donoghue's subject matter stems from her study of and fascination with life in the British Isles during the 18th Century; a time known for its restrictive mores and, consequently, numerous taboos. While not set in this time period, her latest work, Touchy Subjects, deals with many of the taboos of our own, contemporary society.
The selection she read during her appearance, Good Deed follows the thoughts of a man in the throes of attempting a charitable act toward a homeless man. Loosely based on the biblical account of The Good Samaritan, Donoghue's version explores the relationship between one's good conscience and self-consciousness. Other stories from the collection address such socially-icky subjects as female facial hair and what Donoghue deems “social lying” with several of the stories being loosely based on other biblical tales. The whole collection is rife with endearing humility and humour that will have readers confronting their social fears and learning to laugh at them.
A selection of Emma Donoghue's books, including Touchy Subjects, is currently available at the campus bookstore. For those who would like to learn more about Emma Donoghue, visit her website at www.emmadonoghue.com.
