Life Holds Its Breath

‘Her poetry commands an unsparing and musical perspective on love between women but also on the question of authority; on woman’s identity within a society and how it shadows and inflects the very idea of poetry.’ – EAVAN BOLAND
‘What a glittering treasure we have in Mary Dorcey, a bewitching weaver of words and an evocateur of emotions.’ – LIZ NUGENT
‘Dorcey’s women are rooted in real places and moments that are sharp with delight and danger.’ – EMMA DONOGHUE
‘Clear eyed and heartbreaking…’ – NUALA NÍ DHOMNAILL
Mary Dorcey is a critically acclaimed Irish poet, short story writer and novelist. She was awarded The Rooney Prize for Irish Literature in 1990 for her short story collection, A Noise from the Woodshed. She is the author of the bestselling novel A Biography of Desire and is an elected member of the Irish Academy of Arts and Letters, Aosdána.
The author of ten books, Dorcey is researched and taught internationally. Her poetry and fiction have been described as groundbreaking. Many of her poems are considered classics, taught on both the Irish and British school curricula. From the outset her writing announced itself as revolutionary in subject matter and tone. It shattered the silence of Ireland on the suppressed reality of women’s lives and most remarkably on romantic/erotic love between women.
One of her major themes is the love between mother and daughter and the life-long, shape-shifting journey she records between these two has produced some of her most loved poetry. The first Irish woman in history to advocate in speech and writing for LGBT rights, she was a founding member of ‘Irish Women United.’ ‘The Sexual Liberation Movement’ and ‘Women for Radical Change.’ Her subject matter has been recognised for its radicalism and her style for its elegance and sensuality.