Eileen Battersby ( Whiston; 4 June 1956 – 23 December 2018) was the chief

literary critic A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature' ...

of ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

''. She sometimes divided opinion, having been described by

John Banville William John Banville (born 8 December 1945) is an Irish novelist, short story writer, Literary adaptation, adapter of dramas and screenwriter. Though he has been described as "the heir to Marcel Proust, Proust, via Vladimir Nabokov, Nabokov", ...

as "the finest fiction critic we have", while attracting the ire of Eugene McCabe after she gave

Dermot Healy Dermot Healy (9 November 1947 – 29 June 2014) was an Irish novelist, playwright, poet and short story writer. A member of Aosdána, Healy was also part of its governing body, the Toscaireacht. Born in Finea, County Westmeath, he live ...

an unfavourable review in 2011. Her first novel, ''Teethmarks on My Tongue,'' was published by

Dalkey Archive Press Dalkey Archive Press is an American publisher of fiction, poetry, foreign translations and literary criticism specializing in the publication or republication of lesser-known, often avant-garde works. The company has offices in Funks Grove, Il ...

in 2016.

Biography

Battersby was born in

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the List of United States counties and county equivalents, most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 202 ...

. After moving with her family to Ireland, she attended secondary school at Loreto in Bray, County Wicklow."Eileen Battersby obituary: A literary critic with many great passions"
''Irish Times'', 29 December 2018. She went on to graduate with honours in English and History from

University College, Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

, and later received an honours MA degree on American writer

Thomas Wolfe Thomas Clayton Wolfe (October 3, 1900 – September 15, 1938) was an American novelist and short story writer. He is known largely for his first novel, '' Look Homeward, Angel'' (1929), and for the short fiction that appeared during the last ye ...

. She began reviewing fiction in 1984. Her reviews of books and sports writing led her into a career in journalism as a staff arts writer with ''

'', eventually becoming their chief literary correspondent. She wrote on archaeology, history, architecture, geography and horses and championed fiction in translation. Battersby published a memoir, ''Ordinary Dogs: A Story of Two Lives'' (2011), about her two rescue dogs. Her collection ''Second Readings'' (2010) features 52 of her reviews. She won the National Arts Journalist of the Year award four times. She also won the National Critic of the Year prize in 2012. In 2011, controversy ensued when Battersby found

's novel ''Long Time, No See'' wanting. Her unfavourable review prompted an angry letter of protest from Eugene McCabe who castigated her for disemboweling "one of the great masters of Irish writing." However, others like

Jon McGregor Jon McGregor (born 1976) is a British novelist and short story writer. In 2002, his debut novel, first novel was longlisted for the Booker Prize, making him then the youngest-ever contender. His second and fourth novels were longlisted for the ...

said of a critical review from Battersby of his first novel "The things she picked up on were the criticisms I’d now have – it’s overwritten, an explosion of similes, sentimentality, overdeterministic plotting. She let rip, but you felt it was coming from a proper critic."

Death

Battersby and her daughter were involved in a single-vehicle accident in Oldbridge, four kilometres outside

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

on 22 December 2018. Both required hospitalisation; Battersby died the following day. She was 62. President Michael D. Higgins paid tribute to Battersby, writing that literary criticism had "suffered a great loss". He continued, "All of us owe her a debt of gratitude for her unstinting efforts to bring the best writers from around the world to our attention, her unflinching standards, and for the enthusiasm with which she brought her celebration of all aspects of the arts to so many different audiences." She was survived by her daughter, Nadia, her mother (Elizabeth Whiston), and three siblings. Poet Mary O'Donnell published a poem, "Elegy for a Writer", in remembrance of Battersby.

Bibliography

*''Second Readings: From Beckett to Black Beauty'', 2010, Liberties Press, *''Ordinary Dogs: A Story of Two Lives'', 2011,

Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...

, *''Teethmarks on My Tongue'', 2016,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battersby, Eileen 2018 deaths Alumni of University College Dublin Irish literary critics The Irish Times people Road incident deaths in the Republic of Ireland Irish women literary critics 20th-century Irish women journalists Journalists from California American emigrants to Ireland 20th-century Irish women writers 20th-century Irish writers 20th-century Irish journalists 21st-century Irish women writers 21st-century Irish writers 21st-century Irish journalists 21st-century Irish women journalists 1956 births People from Bray, County Wicklow Writers from County Wicklow

Biography

Death

Bibliography

Further reading

See also

References