Children’s anthology has vision of fairer society
A new children’s book, Land of the Ever Young, which has just been published, is the final in a trilogy of working people’s writing from contemporary Ireland. It follows the poetry anthology, Children of the Nation and prose anthology, From the Plough to the Stars, all edited by Jenny Farrell and published by Culture Matters.
The collection is made up of 23 male and female writers, who are mainly from the East, South and West of Ireland, creating in English and Irish.
These authors have created children and adults who confront wrongs, challenge superstition and injustice, and who often see further than others around them.
The stories’ heroines and heroes are filled with a sense of the common good, highlighting the qualities necessary to create a fairer, better society, a Tír na nÓg, the Land of the Ever Young.
Such a place can only materialise in the absence of wars, of profit-driven greed with its contempt for equality, humanity and the environment – a place where the common good is the measure of society, according to Jenny.
This pioneering project is supported by the Irish trade union movement in recognition of the importance of creativity and the right of the working class to express their culture and their experience of life.
Children read stories many times and these often stay with them for a lifetime, acting as a moral compass, says Jenny of their importance.
The images that accompany children’s stories are also remembered for a long time and Land of the Ever Young has been beautifully illustrated by the artist Karen Dietrich.
Land of the Ever Young: An Anthology of Working People’s Writing for Children from Contemporary Ireland, edited by Jenny Farrell with illustrations by Karen Dietrich costs €12 plus package and posting.. All three books are available at www.culturematters.org.uk