Mightier than the sword

Mightier than the sword

The power of the written word to enlighten, enrage, entertain, console, educate and influence has long been known; from the Chinese book burnings and the ritualistic burning of intellectuals and philosophers in 213 BC to the burning of the library of Alexandria in ancient Egypt by Roman soldiers, from the burning of German and foreign writers by the Nazis in pre- war Germany to the burning of census records in the Four Courts fire of 1922 in Ireland. The burning of books and the houses which hold them has been used as weapon for political and intellectual oppression, as a means to destroy cultural freedom, as a method of thought control and a way of maintaining the status quo.

One of the most famous books burned in Ireland was ‘The Valley of the Squinting windows’ (1918) by Brinsley MacNamara. This novel was set in a fictional town in rural Ireland. The themes of gossip, local scandal and the power of public opinion to make and break individuals caused consternation in rural Ireland. The book enraged the people so much that public burnings of the book occurred up and down the country. Poor MacNamara’s father became a local pariah and after a lengthy courtcase emigrated, never to return to Ireland. The book may have been destroyed but the legend of The valley of the squinting windows lives on. The book has been reprinted 5 times in total and the term valley of the squinting windows has entered the lexicon. The phrase is often bandied about whenever small minded mentality and parochial opinions are under discussion.

The Country Girls (1960) by Edna O’Brien suffered a similar fate. This novel, set in rural Ireland is a coming of age story about two girls- Kate and Baba. The books frank discussion of sex caused moral outrage in Ireland. The book was first burnt in a church yard by order of a parish priest in Limerick and later banned from publication in Ireland. A recent documentary on TV3 called ‘Banned’ addressed censorship in Ireland. This programme indicated that a small sub-sector of middle-class Ireland sat on the ‘Irish Censorship Board’ and considered themselves the moral arbitrators of literature in Ireland. A large number of books were banned- many of which are considered masterpieces today, these include The Borstal Boy by John B. Keane, The Dark by John McGahern, The catcher in the rye by J.D. Salinger and Brave new world by Aldous Huxley.

Thankfully, the era of censorship is gone. This is due in part to the age of the Internet and in part to changes in the political, religious and social landscape of Ireland. Today, writers have complete creative freedom and the public has the freedom to read any piece of literature they like. This freedom is to be welcomed. Censorship never really worked anyway. Where there is a will there is a way. Black markets, books passed surreptiously from person to person in paper bags. To ban outright is to entice. As anyone who has ever tried to go on a diet or abstain from something at lent will know, there is nothing like forbidden fruit. The human soul and the human mind wants what it wants. A good book can transport you to foreign lands, broaden your sense of the world, empathise with you, comfort you, make you laugh, cry and shout out in indignation.

As a life-long lover of books, i could make a list of books which have influenced my thoughts and world views over the years. As a young child i was obsessed with Cinderella, my naughty little sister and Oliver Twist (abridged). As an older child it was the babysitters club, all of Roald Dahl’s books, Malory Towers and Jane Eyre which were read to pieces. In my teen-age years I dabbled with Virginia Andrews, Marian Keyes and Margaret Atwood. Generally speaking, i didn’t really understand what any of these authors were writing about but I enjoyed their books none the less. Indeed my love of books was so great that on one occasion when i was very young, my mother threatened to burn my books if i didn’t stop whatever it was i was doing. It was an empty threat but i didn’t stop what i was doing. In a moment of panic, my mother foresaw me becoming a juvenile delinquent without proper discipline. Thus she was caught in a catch-22 situation. She could burn my books and feel years of guilt or save the books and watch me enter into a life of crime and stealing cars. She chose to burn my books. I don’t recall the incident and have no memory of the books in question, but my poor mother still hasn’t forgiven herself. Personally i’m glad she saved me from a life of petty crime. I guess the moral of this particular story is not to threaten your children with a bonfire of books. A waste of trees if nothing else. As an adult, my love of books has not wavered, I am continuously finding new books to love and authors to enjoy. Take a visit to the library and you will too.

By Geraldine Whyte

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