Francis Stuart (1902–2000)

Stuart's decision to stay in Berlin during the war and make broadcasts there casts a shadow on his work. I'm unfamiliar with much of that concern but reading this work now I see no evidence of any hateful philosophy infusing his work. The novel is set in Ireland just after the war and the principal character Ezra has returned there and is in some ways damaged by the war. The main thrust of the book is his questioning of smalltown Ireland. His enemy is complacency and the cosiness of the Catholic ethos but also of other 'certitudes' and the 'duck pond' mentality of other ideologies like nationalism. Ezra's knowledge of the world and its powers are encapsulated in his awareness of the nearness of violence at any moment and also what he characterizes as the 'white worm' of sex as opposed to the Christian ideology. This sets in motion a dialectic between these opposing forces represented by Ezra and a killer (Kavanagh) and a priest (Father Mellowes) . They are ultimately reconciled in a shift in Ezra from the self to community. The writing is neither plain nor extravagent but somewhere in between, being poetic and eloquent. Although written as a Dostoyevskian philosophical work with elements of the thriller, there are also moments of unexpected humour in some depictions of the locals. I think the picture of small-town Ireland will still resonate for many readers but may require imagination for younger ones. In these times, I'm not sure if Stuart will be immediately published again due to his war-time activities, so grab it if you can.It's a thought-provoking and very engaging read.… (meer)