{"title":"Gill Books - Biography","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"against-the-tide","title":"Against the Tide","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAgainst the Tide\u003c\/em\u003e is a story told with honesty and great emotion; the narrative of a life in which tragedy and good fortune succeeded each other with bewildering speed.                      \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eAfter training as a doctor, Noël Browne experienced at first hand the devastating ravages of tuberculosis both personally and professionally. Drawn to politics, he was appointed Minister for Health on his first day in the Dáil at the age of thirty three. His single-minded campaign for reform of the health system, especially the Mother and Child Scheme of 1951, encountered the strenuous opposition of both the Catholic Church and the medical establishment. 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It has become a classic political memoir - subjective, passionate, controversial and beautifully written.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe widely acclaimed autobiography of Irish politician and doctor, Noël Christopher Browne.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gill","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":55123735511427,"sku":"9780717142958","price":20.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0910\/3664\/7811\/files\/9780717142958.jpg?v=1775649495"},{"product_id":"james-joyce-a-literary-life","title":"James Joyce: A Literary Life","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a biography of Joyce for the general reader, using material about and by Joyce that has been available for the last two to three decades. James Joyce, arguably the most influential writer of any language in the 20th century, and certainly one of the major figures in world literature, led a fascinating life, and a triumphant and sad one, constantly battling with problems forced upon him as well as those created by him. The author argues that few artists have drawn so heavily on the fabric of their own lives in weaving their fiction. 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The best biography I have read in years.’ John F. Deane, Irish Independent\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e‘This is a brave, strong book.’ John Montague, Irish Times\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e‘A strong and thoughtful work.’ Emanuel Keogh, Sunday Business Post\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e‘For anyone interested in Kavanagh, interested in the development of Irish poetry and the particularities of Irish culture, this book is, of course, an absolute must, but I would defy anyone to pick up this book and not find themselves immediately engrossed.’ Melissa Murray, Sunday Tribune\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e‘Antoinette Quinn has written a wonderful biography of this complex spirit: deeply researched, full of fascinating detail and entirely readable from beginning to end. This is the book we’ve been waiting for.’ Anthony Cronin, Sunday Independent\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e‘. . . superbly researched and replete with arcane details of his life.’ Dan McCarthy, Irish Examiner\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe first paperback edition of the critically acclaimed biography, described by \u003cbr\u003e\r\none reviewer as 'a magnificent work of love and scholarship...the best \u003cbr\u003e\r\nbiography I have read in years'.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gill","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":55123737575811,"sku":"9780717136438","price":19.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0910\/3664\/7811\/files\/855dfc14953153eacfff915560a77205.jpg?v=1741007864"},{"product_id":"the-life-of-w-b-yeats","title":"The Life of W.B. Yeats","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe key to Brown's interpretation of Yeats is magic. Yeats had a lifelong interest in magic, spiritualism and the paranormal. Brown argues with great force that it is this preoccupation which lies at the root of his personality and which is the key to so much else. His hatred of late Victorian materialism informed not just his poetry but also his involvement with the Irish nationalism cause. For all his Irish nationalism, however, there was also an 'English Yeats to which Brown gives very full attention. The poet was formed by his English experience as much as his Irish, and he lived nearly half his adult life in London.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eBrilliantly written, Terence Brown's biography is the most complete and unified picture yet published of Ireland's greatest poet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis biography of Ireland's greatest poet does not simply tell the story of his life - it explains it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gill Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":55123741409667,"sku":"9780717132485","price":19.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0910\/3664\/7811\/files\/e975dd7803b08129bf77c3ab43535996.png?v=1741007874"},{"product_id":"tuesdays-child","title":"Tuesday's Child","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis beautifully written memoir is a compelling mix of heartfelt personal story and insightful journalism. 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Into the Dark offers a gripping insight into life in the RUC: the day-to-day reality of policing the streets of West Belfast during the dark days of the PIRA hunger strike, and what it was like to be a detective stationed in the \"killing fields\" of North Belfast during the 80s. The narrative lays bare some of the key terrorist personalities, as well as those operating within the Special Branch to pervert the course of justice as a means of asserting internal control. The book is written in very clear and straightforward language and tells the story of the corruption at the heart of the RUC Special Branch during the recent troubles. Brown spent 30 years in the force, mostly as a detective in the CID branch and was responsible for bring some very important murderers to justice. 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Hassan and Hussein, the miracle twins, are walking!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gill Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":55123767460227,"sku":"9780717152803","price":10.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0910\/3664\/7811\/files\/7ab46685c6260f43b38ce1e496b37625.jpg?v=1741008719"},{"product_id":"inside-man","title":"Inside Man","description":"\u003cp\u003ePhilip Bray joined the Irish prison service in 1977, working in Limerick Prison. At the time prisons were places where pillows, blankets and even food were scarce. 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It might be particularly interesting to the British post-Brexit brigade seeking a solution in the pastoral dream of the Irish countryside!' Sue Collins\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e'\u003cem\u003eIn Sight of Yellow Mountain \u003c\/em\u003eis part almanac and part memoir; a meditation on the meaning of life, the beauty of nature and the passing of the seasons, with added chutney recipes and tips on the best method for castrating rams. Acutely observed and beautifully written it is also erudite, entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny. As a portrait of family life and all its past trials and present joys, it is as honest as it is moving and utterly compelling. Never mind the bucolics, here's one man and his smallholding. A must-read.' 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