Dublin is a UNESCO City of Literature
Dublin has fostered four Nobel Prize winners (Yates, Beckett, Shaw, and Heaney)—a world-known university, and several book festivals. They have the international Dublin Literature Award and planning a new city library. This is why Dublin was the world’s 4th UNESCO City of Literature. And it also has a vibrant contemporary literary scene. Read also my other post on Dublin.
Attractions to Libraries
I do not know precisely why I am so attracted to ancient libraries. One day I hopefully can write a post about the best libraries in the world. The libraries remind me of my feeling of shortcomings in my youth because of my dyslexia. I felt that knowledge was not for me. Seeing the young students working and the odd old nerd looking for unusual books to read, all these things attract me. One of the first things I google before visiting a new city is its libraries. In this sense, Dublin does not disappoint.
Stepping back in time
I visited two old libraries in Dublin. First, Marsch`s Library. It houses important collections of European books and manuscripts from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries. Bram Strokes and James Joyce used to read here. The feeling of walking among such old books has a particular dusty smell; ahh, it is so different. As a regular visitor, you can not touch the books, and I asked the staff why it, for example, had dozens of bibles. She laughed and asked if there ever could be too many bibles. I suppose not, in Ireland. She said the collector tried to get one bible from all the languages he could access. They also had on display the original score of Handels Messiah.
Dublins pride, Trinity College
The other Library I visited was Trinity college. The main chamber of the Old Library is the Long Room; at nearly 65 meters in length, it is filled with 200,000 of the Library’s oldest books and is one of the most impressive libraries in the world. Downstairs you find the Book of Kells “Turning Darkness into Light” exhibition; then to the Treasury, where a volume of the Book of Kells and other related manuscripts are on view. You feel you are stepping back in time here, with devotion and feelings.
Chester Beatty
After his death, the American Chester Beatty donated his collection to the Irish state. Here you can discover treasures of rare quality and beauty worldwide. This award-winning museum showcases miniature paintings, decorative arts, manuscripts, prints, and drawings from countries across Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. I did not know Chester Beatty before, so I found the introduction film a great help before walking through the museum.
Oscar Wilde, one of Dublin’s most well-known sons
I am not trying to pretend I am a literary expert. I have not read a lot of books by Irish authors. But as a gay man, it is difficult not to be fascinated by Oscar Wilde and want to know about him and his life. I have also seen a few of his plays in London. I visited his statue in Dublin; however, the Oscar Wilde house across the street was only open for 2 hours on Sundays, so by then, I had left the city. Oscar Wilde was born with a silver spoon in his hand, coming from a sophisticated background. His wits and intelligence brought him into the high society in London, and his downfall was devastating after being convicted as a homosexual.
James Joyce Centre and Museum of Literature
The James Joyce Centre offers visitors historical and biographical information about James Joyce and his influence on the literary world. A large part of the center is dedicated to Ulysses, maybe the most famous work of James Joyce. I could easily have skipped this museum; it was not too interesting. Another museum devoted to Dublin literature is the Museum of Literature Ireland. This museum is in the historic home of the Catholic University of Ireland, the precursor of University College Dublin. Here you can learn more about authors from Ireland; it has a lovely cafe and a wonderful garden.
Samuel Beckett Bridge
Samuel Beckett was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and translator. A resident of Paris for most of his adult life, Beckett wrote in both French and English. His most famous work is the play Waiting for Godot. Beckett has been honored with his own bridge, a cable-stayed swingbridge with an image of a harp lying on its edge. (The harp has been the national symbol for Ireland from as early as the thirteenth century).
