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This book is a collection of literary criticism. Collects the manuscript of Colm Tóibín's lecture at Emory University, which was published in the London Review of Books. Tóibín offers an up-close and illuminating interpretative study of Irish culture, history, and literature through the lives and works of three men-William Wilde, John Butler Yeats, and John Stanislaus Joyce-and their intricate and far-reaching relationships with their complex sons. Through the stories of these three fathers and sons, Tóibín narrates the Irish resistance to British cultural hegemony, the birth of modern Irish cultural identity, and the outstanding contributions made by these complex and outstanding authors to the literary world.

Colm Tóibín's first collection of short stories focuses on the eternal human topic of the "mother-son" relationship, telling various stories arising from this complex relationship from different perspectives. Each of the nine short stories centers on the relationship between mother and son, capturing a transformative moment. At that moment, the delicate balance between mother and son is broken, or their understanding of each other changes. A man buried his mother and washed away the sorrow in his heart with a night of indulgence; a famous singer conquered the audience, but could not please the son present who had not seen him for many years. And in "The Long Winter," the last and best story in the book, a young man searches for his runaway mother in the snow-covered mountains. Tóibín meticulously, elegantly and fluently depicts men and women of all stripes who are trapped by convention, subject to unspeakable emotions and unable to escape the shadows of the past. Many people are helplessly stuck in the quagmire of life with no other choice. Through these stories, Tobin accurately demonstrates human fragility and longing, which is shocking and unforgettable. Everyone can gain spiritual comfort, inspiration, and courage to face life from reading these short stories.

In Enniscorthy, a small town in southeastern Ireland, housewife Nora Webster was widowed in middle age and had to raise four children by herself and was strapped for money. Nora is immersed in the grief of losing her loved one. She looks forward to any opportunity to escape from her predicament and troubles, but is also afraid that she will return to the monotonous and depressing work life she had before marriage. On the other hand, small town residents live in close proximity and everyone seems to know each other's secrets. The sensitive Nora became egotistical, stubborn, and sometimes impatient. She wanted to defend her family's privacy, but she also ignored the sadness and changes of her two young sons after losing their father. Gradually, with the power of singing talent and friendship, Nora saw a glimmer of hope for a new life.

Colm Tóibín, the author of "The Master" and "Brooklyn", is an early representative work and a shortlisted work for the Booker Prize. In Ireland in the early 1990s, due to the terminal illness of her gay brother Declan, Helen had to reunite with her long-estranged mother Lily at her grandmother Dora's old house by the sea to take care of the terminally ill Declan. Also living with them are Declan's friends Paul and Larry. Helen and Lily have been estranged for a long time, and Lily also has many conflicts with Dora. In the process of facing Declan's illness, three generations with different beliefs and feelings were forced to examine their own past in the shallows of history, listen to each other's hearts amidst collisions and conflicts, and gradually reach an understanding through looking back on the past. Tobin uses soothing and beautiful words to explore the nature of love and the complex emotions within a conflicted family, which resonates deeply: How do you face your family and heal the deep wounds in your heart?