An Embarrassment of Riches by Gerald Hansen
Published in 2007 by iUniverse, Inc.
ISBN-10: 0-595-44759-7
Paperback
278 Pages
Read an except here.
Read the reviews here.
That is the picture of my book when I waited at Borders for my daughter to buy some books. I was drinking my tea when I got to the funny parts and snorted tea out my nose. I look like a lunatic, cackling my way through the pages. I keep reading anyway.
*****Guest Post*****
It’s a pleasure to write this guest blog; hopefully only a few of you will nod off as I rattle on!
I thought only three copies of “An Embarrassment of Riches” would ever sell, and only then if my mother bought two. A book in Irish slang? Who in their right mind could enjoy such a thing? I’m shocked and grateful, then, at not only how many have sold, but also at how many people from so many different walks of life have loved it and laughed away, from comedian Colin Quinn (who bought eleven copies and called it “a f*cking masterpiece”) to soccer moms, to New York hipsters, to a British soldier (if you read the book, you’ll understand why this is shocking) to the Australian producer and the American director who want to make a movie out of it.
It’s all so amazing because when you write, you have no idea how you will be read. When a book is published, it’s wrenched from the privacy and care of your computer and thrust into the big bad world, like a mother pulling up to the school gates on the first day of kindergarten and whispering to herself, “Please (insert deity here), let them love my child.” She opens the door and the child scampers off to a new life, and all she can do is hope for the best. (She could attach a GPS device to the child, but that would take the analogy down a more unseemly route.)
The most popular question I’m asked about “An Embarrassment of Riches” is “How the *#@% do you pronounce Fionnuala?” (it’s FIN-OO-LA) , followed by “Why did you write the book?” It was a labor of love. My parents did win the Irish lottery, and my mother’s family wasn’t best pleased. After spending two years on a first draft that mimicked the story, I realized every time I ran it through spell check that the suggestion for each word seemed to be L-I-B-E-L; additionally, I didn’t want to infuriate my mother’s family. So I mixed the facts up, invented new families, notched up the seediness, violence and humor several notches by adding a pregnant daughter, some drug dealers, petrol bombs and a Holy Communion gown, and a totally fictional “An Embarrassment of Riches” was born. (The family, however, don’t seem to be convinced; this might explain the one star review on Amazon…)
“What’s with this Irish slang?” I’m also asked. People either love it or loathe it, I’m now well aware, but I didn’t think I could write a book about Derry without including their fascinating language. Yes (or should I say “aye”), it might be a struggle for readers for the first few pages, but I had lived in the city for years and fallen in love with their slang, so I felt I had to capture it as best I could. For research, I later revisited the city with a tape recorder whirring away in my pocket. And now many readers in the US have learned marvelous/shocking new things to call their friends.
You, there! Wake yerself up! Wake yerself up now, ye clarty git! Oops, some of you are nodding off, so I think I’ve overstayed my welcome and should wrap this up. One last thing: I’m working hard on the sequel, “Hand In The Till,” which is about the further battles of Ursula and Fionnuala, and which should be out in October. Look for a free giveaway on this site then!
Thanks so much, Shoshana, for allowing me to ramble. Your site is excellent. Keep up the good work!
*****The Giveaway*****
Contest open to US and Canadian addresses. No PO Box address please.
One winner of this signed copy will be choosen by random.org on May 25, 2009.
*****Chances of winning*****
Visit Gerald Hansen’s site, read an excerpt of the book, and leave a thoughtful question for in the below (+1).
Tell me your favorite ‘Irish’ expression (+1)
Blog about this giveaway (+1).
E-mail this contest to 3 of your friends, cc a copy to ‘thisbookforfree at gmail dot com’ (+3)
Tags: Gerald Hansen
The Last Queen: A Novel
Recent Comments