Synopsis
The Cripple of Inishmaan
$15.99 Published by Methuen
In 1934, the people of Inishman learn that the Hollywood director Robert Flaherty is coming to the neighbouring island to film his documentary Man of Aran. No-one is more excited than Cripple Billy, an unloved boy whose chief occupation has been gazing at cows and yearning for a girl who wants no part of him
But Billy is determined to cross the sea and audition for the Yank and as news of his audacity ripples thorugh his rumour-starved community, The Cripple of Inishmaan becomes a merciless portrayal of a world so comically cramped and mean-spirited that hope is an affront to its order
"Mr McDonagh is destined to be one of the theatrical luminaries of the 21st century" - The New Republic