Alec Hijmans ag Féile Leabhar BhÁC / Alex Hijmans at the Dublin Book Festival

Mar chuid 'dFhéile Leabhar Bhaile Átha Cliath 2012 reáchtáladh plé ar an ngearrscéal mar sheánra i litríocht na Gaeilge Dé Sathairn 17 Samhain in amharclann Smock Alley, Barra an Teampaill, Baile Átha Cliath 2.

 Micheál  Conghaile, Michael Cronin, Alan Titley & Alex Hijmans

Bhí an criticeoir liteartha aitheanta - agus údar de chuid Cois Life - Michael Cronin mar chathaoirleach ar an bplé leis na gearrscéalaithe seo a leanas: Michael Ó Conghaile, a bhunaigh Cló Iar-Chonnachta, Alex Hijmans, údar idirnáisiúnta ilteangach, agus Alan Titley, acadúlach agus colúnaí de chuid The Irish Times.

Tá idir úrscéalta agus ghearrscéalta Gaeilge foilsithe ag an triúr acu agus bhí siad ábalta na difríochtaí eatarthu a chíoradh go mion. Luadh go háirithe gur úrscéalta seachas gearrscéalta  a bhíonn ag teastáil ó fhoilsitheoirí Béarla ar fud an domhain ach ní mar sin atá cúrsaí i saol na foilsitheoireachta Gaeilge.

I measc na gceisteanna a d'ardaigh An tOllamh Cronin bhí an traidisiún réalaíoch i ngearrscéalaíocht an Gaeilge. Thuairimigh an tOll. Titley gur frithghluaiseacht a bhí sa traidisiún sin i gcoinne nó i ndiaidh a raibh d'osréalachas sa traidisiún béil agus sa scríbhneoireacht luath i ré na hAthbheochana san fhichiú haois a bhí go mór faoi anáil an traidisiúin sin. Luaigh Micheál Ó Conghaile gur léirigh na gearrscéalta Gaeilge le leathchéad bliain anuas saol na Gaeilge, saol na Gaeltachta agus go ndeachaigh siad i gcion air siúd dá réir.  Luaigh Alex Hijmans gurb iad gearrscéalta Uí Chonaire, Uí Fhlaithearta agus Uí Chadhain na chéid leabhair a léigh sé sa Ghaeilge agus gur thaitin an léargas a bhí iontu ar fhírinne lom an tsaoil go mór leis. 

Ceist ghaolmhar a d'ardaigh Michael Cronin ná 'an amhlaidh go bhfuil claonadh sa ghearrcéal cás an duine imeallaigh a phlé?' D'admhaigh Micheál Ó Conghaile go mbeadh sé sin fíor i gcás roinnt mhaith dá shaothar féin ach go mb'fhéidir gur mar sin a bhí toisc go mbíonn na daoine sin níos spéisiúla - bíonn siad éagsúil agus cuirtear spéis iontu dá réir. D'aontaigh Alan Titley leis an argóint sin (cé go ndúirt sé nach maith leis a bheith ag aontú le rud ar bith - leis féin go háirithe!) agus luaigh sé na carachtair sna gearrscéalta in Gonta, leabhar nua Alex Hijmans, mar shárshampa de seo. Chun clabhsúr a chur ar an ócáid d'iarr Michael Cronin ar an triúr sliocht a léamh as a saothar agus ghabh sé leithscéal leis an slua trí scór duine nó mar sin a bhí i láthair.

 

As part of the Dublin Book Festival 2012 the short story genre in Irish-language literature was discussed on Saturday the 17th of November at an event in Smock Alley Theatre, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.

The well-known critic - and Cois Life author - Michael Cronin chaired the session with the following short story writers: Michael Ó Conghaile, author and founder of publishing house Cló Iar-Chonnachta, Alex Hijmans, international, multilingual author, and Alan Titley, author, academic and Irish Times columnist. 

Professor Cronin, chairing, noted that all three writers had published both novels and short stories in the Irish language. and so were well-placed to discuss the differences between the genres. All agreed that the novel now holds a higher status then the short story in the English-speaking world with publishers much preferring writers to work on novels. This is not at all the case in Irish, with Irish-language publishers welcoming submissions in both genres.

Among the other issues which Michael Cronin asked the panel to address was the tradition of realism in the Irish short story. Professor Titley saw it as a reaction to the supernatural aspects of the oral story-telling tradition which had been a powerful influence of early Revival-period literature of the early 20th century. Micheál Ó Conghaile mentioned that the Irish-language short stories of the last fifty years were a unique depiction of Gaeltacht life and this had huge significance for him as someone raised in the Gaeltacht and had been highly influential on him as a writer. Alex Hijmans reminisced about how the short stories of Pádraic Ó Conaire, Liam Ó Flaithearta (Liam O'Flaherty) and Máirtín Cadhain had been the first works he read in the Irish language when he arrived in Ireland from the Netherlands and that their gritty realism had been very attractive to him.

The chair then asked the panel to share their thoughts about the theory that the short story tended to deal with people in the margins of society.  Micheál Ó Conghaile agreed that this coul certainly be said of many of his short stories but thought that this was the case because such people were simply more interesting than those in the mainstream - their very difference makes them of interest. Alan Titley concurred (adding the caveat that he rarely agreed with anyone else and never at all with himself!) and cited the characters in the short stories in Gonta, Alex Hijmans' new collection, as a perfect illustration of this. To bring the event to a close, Michael Cronin asked all three authors to read an extract from their work and thanked the audience of about sixty people for their attendance and attention.