Hereafter

Zusatztext

<p><b>A lyrical portrait of a young Irish woman reinventing herself at the turn of the twentieth century in America</b><br><br>Ellen OHara was a young immigrant from Ireland at the end of the nineteenth century who, with courage and resilience, made a life for herself in New York while financially supporting those at home.<i>Hereafter</i> is her story, told by Vona Groarke, her descendant, in a beautiful blend of poetry, prose, and history.<br><br>In July 1882, Ellen OHara stepped off a ship from the West of Ireland to begin a new life in New York. What she encountered was a world of casual racial prejudice that characterized her as ignorant, dirty, and feckless, the butt of many jokes. From the slim range of jobs available to her she, like, many of her kind, found a position as a domestic servant, working long hours and living in to save on rent and keep. After an unfortunate marriage, Ellen determined to win financial security on her own, and eventually opened a boarding house where her two children were able to rejoin her.<br><br>Vona Groarke builds this story from historical fact, drawing from various archives for evidence of Ellen. However, she also considers why lives such as Ellens seem to leave such a light trace in such records and fills in the gaps with memory and empathetic projection. Ellenscrappy, skeptical, and straight-talkingis the heroine of<i>Hereafter</i>, whose resilience animates the story and whose voice shines through with vivid clarity.<i>Hereafter</i> is both a compelling account of an incredible figure and a reflection on how one womans story can speak for more than one life.</p>

Autorenportrait

<p>One of the best poets writing in Ireland today (Poetry Ireland Review),<b>Vona Groarke</b> has<br>published twelve books, including eight poetry collections, most recently<i>Link:Poet and World</i><br>(Gallery Books, 2021). A Cullman Fellow at the New York Public Library (2018-19), she is the<br>current Poet in Residence at St Johns College, Cambridge University in the U.K. Poet, essayist, editor and critic, she makes her home in the west of Ireland, where she reads and writes.</p>

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