5 Books That Make You Proud to Be Irish (Even if You Aren’t)

I sit here writing this on the Wednesday before St. Patrick’s Day. Why? Because come Saturday, I’ll be joining all of the other Americans who pretend to be Irish on that one day of the year. That’s right; I’m swapping out my Bourbon for Irish whiskey and my Belgium ambers for Guinness.

But one thing that is a year round tradition is me reading great works of literature. So in celebration of this awesome event here is my list of five fantastic books by notable Irish authors:

Oscar Wilde – The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891)

A story of the dangers of a hedonistic lifestyle, Dorian Gray was a young man revered for his beauty. Tainted by a nobleman who convinced him that his beauty and pleasure was the only good in life, Dorian wishes that his picture aged instead of him. Oscar Wilde’s only published novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray serves as the perfect warning against living a life of pure pleasure and aesthetics.

Jonathan Swift – Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships (Gulliver’s Travels) (1726)

I first learned of Gulliver’s Travels from a VHS copy of the 1939 animated movie my grandpa owned. It wasn’t until years later that I read the book and it’s satirical commentary on humanity and human nature. Broken into four parts each adventure Lemuel takes is a social commentary about various aspects of European government, religion and lifestyle.

Bram Stoker – Dracula (1897)

The book that started it all, a new generation’s fascination with all things vampire. I have to admit that this book is also what first got me interested in vampires and the occult. Before, I was a scaredy-cat kid who was afraid of his own shadow. But Bram Stoker’s book about the Transylvanian king of vampires inspired and fascinated me. And a word to the wise, don’t try to do a book report on the Keanu Reeves Gary Oldman movie, teachers are onto that.

James Joyce – Ulysses (1922)

The book that drove James Joyce crazy (not really) and was banned in the U.K. and U.S. Ulysses follows Leopold Bloom through his passage of Dublin in 1904. Drawing parallels between Homer’s Odyssey (Ulysses is a latinization of Odysseus) Ulysses is a challenge to read and understand. I’ve been working on it for the better part of two years and I still don’t get it. James Joyce’s style as it is in Finnegans Wake is full of allusions and enigmas and will strain your brain muscle. But it is a good read none the less and I have a feeling that if you’re a high school student you’ll get extra bonus points for doing a book report on a 230,000 word book.

C.S. Lewis – The Chronicles of Narnia series (1950 – 1956)

While not a single book I just can’t see it in my heart to pick one out of the Narnia series. I suppose I have The Chronicles of Narnia to thank for my love of reading and passion for fantasy. This was in fact the first series I read. When I was little my mom was told that I my reading level was several years above my grade level. She decided to cultivate this by forcing me to read the entire series and a bunch of other books over the summer. I spent more time in the library than I did with my friends that summer. But it worked, so I guess thanks mom. Many people have noted the religious symbolism in the Narnia series and that is no accident. C.S. Lewis partially wrote the series to answer questions he was being asked on religion. Jesus lions aside The Chronicles of Narnia is one of my favorite series of all time.

So there it is. Five amazing books by five influential Irish novelists. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. What are your top five books?