All Will Be Well A Memoir

In his award-winning novels and stories, John McGahern (one of "the greatest Irish writers"The New York Times Book Review) explores the ordinary lives of men and women to reveal the intricate workings of the human heart and mind. Now, inAll Will Be Well, he turns to his own life, telling the story of his childhood in the Irish countryside and the beginnings of his life as a writer. McGahern grew up the eldest of seven children in County Leitrim, where North and South meet under the Iron Mountains. His early years were marked by his father's violent nature, the selflessness of his mothera teacher of uncommon independenceand the tragedy of her death when McGahern was only nine. With extraordinary poignancy, he describes her and how her love remained a source of strength for him and his siblings, helping them to survive their father's tyrannical rule and, ultimately, enabling them to break free into their own lives. McGahern traces his career as a writer as it takes him increasingly far from hometo Dublin, London, Paris, Helsinki, Spain, the United Statesbefore it brings him back to the almost unchanged landscape in which he had grown up and which had indelibly shaped his life and work. His lyrical descriptions of the fields and quiet roads of his home catch the subtle beauty of one of Ireland's least known counties, while his portraits of its inhabitants are drawn with great insight and tenderness. "The people and the language and landscape...were like my breathing." All Will Be Wellis a haunting, illuminating memoir. From the Hardcover edition.

John McGahern wrote six highly acclaimed novels and four collections of short stories, and was the recipient of many awards and honors, including an award from the Society of Author, the American Ireland Fund Literary Awards, the Prix Ecureuil de Littérature Etrangère and the Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Amongst Women, which won both the GPA Book Award and the Irish Times Award, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He died in 2006.