Bullfighting : Stories

Review "Fine, poignant and subtly humorous stories. . . . [ Bullfighting ] is probably the finest collection of Irish short stories since James JoyceвЂTMs Dubliners . The delicacy of emotion is here, the spare but elegant writing, the heartbreak and humour. . . . ThereвЂTMs laugher and sadness, provided by a writer at his peak, teasing meaning out of the ordinary with exquisite skill and delicacy.” —John Doyle, The Globe and Mail   “ Bullfighting offers a series of rare and beautiful mid-life meditations. . . . With its chatty, in-the-pub style . . . you feel as though you are eavesdropping on each of these menвЂTMs forbidden thoughts and fears.” — Daily Express “With the sparest materials Doyle snaps entire lives into sharp focus in a handful of pages, which is short fiction doing what short fiction does best.” — The Times  “Shedding tears, eliciting laughs and revitalising the mundanity of everyday existence has long been Roddy DoyleвЂTMs finest suit. He delivers it [in Bullfighting ] in spades.” — The List  “These stories pack a considerable cumulative punch, a resounding wake-up call to anyone who feels time running by too fast or the loss of meaning in their everyday lives and relationships. . . . The stories are much more powerful read together than on their own. . . . [They] have plenty of DoyleвЂTMs irreverent humour and language, too.” — Irish Independent About the Author Roddy Doyle is the author of seven acclaimed novels and Rory and Ita, a memoir about his parents. He won the Booker Prize in 1993 for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha. A second collection of stories from the Booker Prize-winning author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha Watch for Roddy Doyle’s new novel, Smile , coming in October of 2017 Roddy Doyle has won acclaim for his wry wit, his uncanny ear, and his remarkable ability to fully capture the voices and hearts of his characters. Bullfighting , his second collection of stories, offers a series of bittersweet takes on men and middle age, revealing a panorama of Ireland today. Moving from classrooms to graveyards, from local pubs to bullrings, these tales of taking stock and reliving past glories feature men concerned with loss—of their place in the world, of their power, virility, health, and ability to love. "[No one] can match Doyle for the fluency with which he tacks back and forth between the hilarious and the heartbreaking." 'The New York Times Book Review Roddy Doyle has won acclaim for his wry wit, his uncanny ear, and his remarkable ability to fully capture the voices and hearts of his characters. Bullfighting, his second collection of stories, offers a series of bittersweet takes on men and middle age, revealing a panorama of Ireland today. Moving from classrooms to graveyards, from local pubs to bullrings, these tales of taking stock and reliving past glories feature men concerned with loss'of their place in the world, of their power, virility, health, and ability to love A collection of stories set in modern Ireland explores a theme of loss, from a man who remembers his early family life while taking daily prescribed walks to a father who considers the impact of his children's pets