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Irish Times
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Ray Burke on how the books of almost every Irish writer of note were banned in the last century
President Michael D. Higgins told a gathering of librarians that he was hosting at a Bloomsday Garden Party at Áras an Uachtaráin last June about a visit he made to the public library in Galway shortly after he moved there more than 60 years ago to work for the Electricity Supply Board before enrolling at the local university. Having climbed the stairs to the library (housed at that time in Galway's 19th century county courthouse) he asked if he could borrow the book 'Why I Am Not a Christian' by the British philosopher and Nobel Literature Laureate Bertrand Russell. He said that the librarian told him: 'I cannot give you that book'. He said that when he asked her why not, she replied: 'Because it would not be good for you'. The impromptu denial suffered by the future President of Ireland was possible under the Censorship of Publications Acts that dated back to 1929 and that prohibited the importation into Ireland of more than 12,000 publications, mainly books or magazines, that were deemed by State-appointed censorship boards to be 'indecent or obscene' and likely 'to corrupt or deprave'. READ MORE Almost every Irish writer of note had their books banned under the acts during the last century, irrespective of their international renown. Brendan Behan used to quip that in Ireland he was 'the leader of the banned'. Edna O'Brien had hardback first editions of her early novels confiscated by customs officers at Dublin Airport in 1966 when she arrived from London to attend a debate on censorship. Galway libraries had been banning books even before the Censorship Acts came into force. 'Every effort has been made by the committee to ensure that no books of an objectionable nature should be allowed to circulate', the minutes of the first meeting of the Galway County Council Libraries Committee in May 1926 state. At the same meeting, the committee – successor to the County Galway Carnegie Libraries – approved a report from the chief librarian that said: 'No little difficulty has been experienced in book selection, particularly in dealing with works of fiction as the general tendency in recent years of authors has lain more in the realm of sex, psychoanalysis, and other objectionable studies totally extraneous to any story'. In February 1927, the committee resolved that copies of all books recommended for purchase be supplied 'to each member of the committee, the [Catholic] Archbishop of Tuam, and the Bishop of Galway'. Two months later it invited the two bishops to submit lists of books for purchase. An early-1950s annual meeting of the committee noted: 'It was proposed by county councillor Tom King, seconded by Tadg O'Shea, and resolved that printed slips be inserted in every book issued at headquarters, branches and centres, asking readers to draw the attention of the county librarian 'to any objectionable book' and that lists of books for purchase be submitted to the book selection sub-committtee (which included a number of Catholic priests). This may explain how Tom Kenny, of Kennys Bookshop in Galway, came into possession of a rare copy of James Joyce's 'Ulysses. 'It was a surprise some years ago when we bought an elderly local priest's library to discover a two-volume paperback set of Ulysses' by James Joyce which was published by the Odyssey Press. We got an even bigger shock when we opened the flyleaf and discovered the signature ` + M. Browne 1938′ – Cross Michael himself, the bishop', Tom has recalled. An earlier, even-rarer copy of Ulysses had been censored by immolation in Galway shortly after its publication in 1922. Joyce sent a first edition to another Galway bookseller, Frank O'Gorman, in whose printing works Joyce's partner and future wife, Nora Barnacle, may have worked occasional, casual shifts. It was inscribed 'To Frank, with best wishes, Nora and Jim', but Frank O'Gorman's mother promptly burned it. Her grandson Ronnie, a respected local historian and founder of the Galway Advertiser freesheet, last year donated his collection of rare and valuable books to the University of Galway shortly before his death after an illness. It included an expensively acquired first edition of Ulysses and also a limited first edition of the book with illustrations by the French artist Henri Matisse, signed by both the artist and by Joyce. A few months before Ronnie O'Gorman's death, the then minister for justice, Helen McEntee, announced, in November 2023, that she had obtained government approval to repeal the Censorship of Publications Acts. She acknowledged that censorship boards 'are of limited relevance in a modern society'.
The Hindu
24-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
The English conundrum
'Good morning.' No response. The teacher in me was piqued. When will they learn the English etiquette? 'Good morning' is a simple greeting. But 'goodnight' is not so simple. It cannot be used just because it is night time, but only when parting at night or before going to sleep. I have taught English for several years, not just the language and its literature, but also its ethos and etiquette. I admit English is a complicated language, what with its irrational spelling, its idiosyncratic accent, its homophones and homonyms and more. No wonder, Bertrand Russell famously said that 'fish' can be written as 'ghoti' and still pronounced 'fish'! (For 'gh' in words like rough and laugh has the sound of 'f' ; the 'o' in women has the sound of 'i', and the 'ti' in nation and ration has the sound of 'sh'.) When it comes to the English accent, it is even more confusing. For example, the first syllable is accented in 'photograph', the second syllable in 'photographer', and the third in 'photographic'. Aiyyo! (the latest COD has included the word). Confusion confounded. Then there are the homophones, words that have different meanings and spellings, but have the same sound. A lady who had no children went to a doctor about an imaginary ailment. After the examination the doctor said, 'Ma'am, what you need is just sun and air.' The lady replied, 'Unfortunately I don't have both. 'She meant 'son' and 'heir''. Homonyms are words spelt and pronounced alike, but mean different things according to the context in which they are used — for instance, words such as 'bill', 'bowl', and 'hand'. People of different races and regions have different accents when they speak English. Donald Trump's nasal twang has reverberated throughout the world causing a market meltdown. Shashi Tharoor's clipped British accent has baffled even the native speakers, not to mention his sophisticated use of vocabulary. Even he is flummoxed by Gen Z's vocabulary that includes 'fomo' or 'ootd' (fear of missing out and outfit of the day). Mr. Tharoor says that the British have not only looted our country's wealth but also have looted from our language. Many of the English words like catamaran, bungalow, and bandana are derivatives from Indian languages. English literature is what I enjoy best. As a 17 year old, I used to be lost in wonder as Professor Rao quoted with ease the lines from Macbeth. He used to strut across the classroom keeping me spellbound by the magic of Shakespeare's iambic pentameter. His kinesthetic style of teaching was copied by me later. For greater effect, I would put on and take off my reading glasses attached to a chain around my neck, at frequent intervals. The great litterateur and poet Aiyyappa Paniker taught me the different English meters. He was a young professor at that time and initiated me to poetic appreciation. I danced with the daffodils and flew with the west wind. I learned alliteration from Keats' 'beaded bubbles winking at the brim' and onomatopoeia that mimics the sound it describes. I enjoyed reading the classics — Dickens and Hardy, the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen, all of them. I came upon Rushdie's magic realism much later. The reading habit has helped me in my retirement. I am an octogenarian who still enjoys turning the pages of a book. As for the accent, I will stick to my Malayalam accent which can switch a statement into a question by just raising my voice with the ending word! 'Simply' wonderful!
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
In the name of progress: eugenics then, euthanasia now
Progress may be the most dangerous two-syllable word in politics. Slapped on to all sorts of monstrosities it has become a means of justifying inadequate arguments and evading scrutiny. To the unthinking politician, if an issue constitutes progress it is inevitably part of a wider move towards enlightenment, is an inherently good step and, crucially, must happen sooner or later. The belief means identifying barriers to progress; and, by extension, viewing their removal as a social good. This isn't a modern outlier or bug but a longstanding feature of progressive thought. It was in the name of progress that the Fabian and socialist eugenicists – from Beatrice and Sidney Webb to Bertrand Russell and Marie Stopes – advocated the sterilisation of the disabled and sick during the 20th century. It was in the name of progress that George Bernard Shaw supported 'the socialisation of the selective breeding of man', even, chillingly, proposing the euthanasia of the mentally ill and other members of the 'unfit' classes via 'extensive use of the lethal chamber'. In short; a very dangerous word indeed. This isn't just a history lesson either; the groups these people supported still exist. Dignity in Dying, the main advocacy group for assisted dying, was founded by a member of the Eugenics Society and was known until 2006 as The Voluntary Euthanasia Society. In our own day, the same concept is being invoked once more as a sort of unanswerable force. The debate over assisted suicide is intensifying on both sides of the Border this week, as Kim Leadbeater's Private Members' Bill returns to Parliament and Holyrood MSPs voted in favour of a similar Bill proposed by Lib Dem Liam McArthur. In her efforts to champion her Bill on social media, the former is emerging as someone with Van Gogh's ear for diplomacy; both tactless and self-aggrandising. This week she dismissed opponents as 'scaremongering and ideological', while quoting praise of herself from a supporter, describing her as a 'social reformer'. At least irony hasn't been assisted with its death. The inconvenient truth is that, in this case progress involves the sidelining and rejection of the very people whose needs it claims to advance. The Royal College of Physicians recently published a statement warning that the Bill's 'deficiencies' render it unsafe for patients and doctors. Was this 'scaremongering'? Every user-led disability group opposes the change, as do a majority of palliative care professionals. Are they 'ideologues' too? If Leadbeater is foolish and groups like Dignity in Dying malign, there is a third and more complacent category of argument invoking the consistently-disproven concept of 'the right side of history'. It is telling that despite supporting assisted suicide in principle, former Scots Tory Leader Ruth Davidson couldn't quite endorse the parallel Bill before Holyrood in its current form. Instead, in a column this week, she urges MSPs simply to trust that they will be able to iron out any problems at a later date. She also cites the number of countries around the world offering assisted suicide as if this, in itself, constituted an argument. What many of these jurisdictions actually show is quite the opposite to Davidson's Panglossian faith that everything will work itself out. A particularly invidious aspect of this debate has been the manipulation of language. Not only is there a tendency to imply, per Leadbeater, that the pro-side has a monopoly on compassion, relatives' understandable efforts to prevent their loved ones from taking their own lives have sometimes been reframed as 'coercion'. During the 'expert' witness testimony, one Australian MP referred to ' assisted dying ' in exquisitely Orwellian fashion, as a form of 'suicide prevention'. There has even been some squeamishness about using the word 'suicide' at all, though the Bill would by definition amend the 1961 Suicide Act. It's as if they fear this serious change to the social fabric will be impossible without annexing language to limit what their opponents may say. And now, showing tragedy and farce are far closer than we think, Kim Leadbeater is apparently a 'social reformer'. Parliament's own impact assessment also reveals this tendency. It was slipped out under the radar on Friday afternoon after the local elections. This too contained the dystopian language we've come to expect from the debate; focusing on the service's 'inclusivity'; perhaps to give women, disabled and vulnerable people equal access to death. The Bill already covers a far wider remit than its proponents initially promised. The irony is that Leadbeater and her allies no doubt think of themselves and their actions as progressive. Yet each of them is simultaneously engaged in the business of ignoring the voices of the poor and the vulnerable. This Bill is so comprehensively at odds with the principles of previous social reform that enacting it will mean rewriting the Bill on which the National Health Service was forged. The legislation is so far-sweeping that the Bill's proponents may become the first people to undo the basic healthcare principle that life should be preserved. This is worth restating for all the 'sensibles' out there; it wasn't Mrs Thatcher or 'Tory privatisation', but a Labour backbencher who will fundamentally change the stated purpose of the NHS – and in a final irony, will do so not in the name of profit but of progress.
Telegraph
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
What better way to mark the 500th episode of Only Connect than with a quiz?
This coming Monday, at 8pm on BBC Two, it's the final of this year's Only Connect. But you knew that of course. It's in your diary. You cited it when the neighbours invited you to dinner – 'Not March 3rd!' you cried. 'It's the Only Connect final!' You had no intention of watching it. But neither had you any intention of going round to that ghastly pair of scrotes at Number 32 to talk about house prices while eating what was bound to be fish. And you couldn't pretend you were going out because they'd see the lights on. So you claimed that you had to stay in to watch British quizzing's most prestigious final, knowing you were unlikely to be caught out because those morons certainly wouldn't be watching it either. Well, this column is not for you. It's for our hardcore fans! It's for those who know not only that the final is coming up, but also that it is our 500th episode. Yes, it's D-Day! (A little Roman joke for Only Connect fans, there.) I've decided to mark the occasion with a special bonus quiz. It's all about the show itself, mining our long and gruelling history on the small screen. Good luck! The exciting news is that if you come top, you will win exactly the same amount of money as whichever team triumphs on Monday night. 1) On which channel did Only Connect begin life, back in 2008? Was it (a) BBC Two (b) BBC Four (c) BBC Wales (d) Babestation 2) The first question ever posed on Only Connect was a picture question, featuring photographs of Auberon Waugh, Bertrand Russell, Robin Day and Screaming Lord Sutch. What was the connection? 3) The first champions of Only Connect went on to win several subsequent specials and champions' matches, eventually retiring undefeated. Were they known as (a) The Puzzlers (b) The Crossworders (c) The Liberal Democrats 4) Since it's the 500th show, here's a quiz question inspired by the number 500. In a poll I just googled of Rolling Stone magazine's '500 Greatest Songs of All Time', what came top? 5) Everyone enjoys an old-fashioned cartoon strip. But where is Only Connect filmed? (a) Splott, Cardiff (b) Kapow, Swansea (c) Zzzzwack, Pontypridd 6) On Only Connect, everything comes in sets of four. Which four people have, to date, employed their devious minds in the role of question editor? (a) Mr Bodycombe, Mr Connor, Mr Waley-Cohen and Mr McGaughey (b) Mr Sutcliffe, Mr Christie, Mr Nilsen and Dr Crippen (c) Mr Smith, Mr Jones, Mr Edwards and Mr Hitler 7) In the missing-vowels round, the letters 'C CK CC K' once appeared, to represent an animal and the noise it makes. What answer did The Politicos buzz in and shout, to the host's chagrin? (a) Cuckoo, cuckoo (b) Croak, croak (c) Cock, cock 8) All television should be made by Welsh women. But how many people on the crew of Only Connect are called Siân? 9) Which of the below is a genuine opening fact that was given about one of the contestants at the start of an episode? (a) 'A classics graduate whose dog, Zephyr, bears a striking resemblance to Anubis, the Egyptian god of the afterlife' (b) 'A highway engineer who once sold a pair of trainers to the poet Simon Armitage' (c) 'A vicar whose set of nativity scarecrows won the 2016 Wythenshawe Community Scarecrow Award' 10) What – without using a calculator and giving yourself only 10 seconds – is two squared times five cubed? Scroll down for the answers
Gulf Today
25-02-2025
- General
- Gulf Today
Work lessons
The illustrious British philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote a dazzling essay, 'In praise of Idleness' in 1932. However, only the rich of the world, who are born wealthy or marry riches, can enjoy idleness. They are born in mansions and inherit affluence and from previous generations. They saunter through life. They do not worry about bills. I would have loved to have been born rich. It would be gorgeous to live in the mountains, in the company of beautiful flowers and books. I would have devoted myself to my hobbies like writing and acting, even if they brought no money. Alas, most of us, must work for a living. We have to pay grocery, electricity and telephone bills every month. Many years ago, I worked in a department in a company, where everybody worked about 11 to 12 hours per day. We also worked on Saturdays, which was an official holiday, from 9 am to 3 pm or so. Then my boss told me to start working on Sundays also, from 10 am to 4 pm. This would mean about 70 to 80 hours of work per week. I was living alone. I told my boss that I needed the Sunday, to get organised for the following week. However, he refused. He said he would issue written instructions for me to work every Sunday. I did it. I was young. I was learning. Despite the hardship, I followed his instructions. Now years later, I do not regret it. I yet treasure the lessons of those tough days. People who work hard, eventually succeed. The winner is the person, who can roll up his sleeves and get the job done. Rajendra Aneja,
