Donal McLaughlin
Author of An Allergic Reaction to National Anthems: and Other Stories
About the Author
Donal McLaughlin was born in Northern Ireland, but moved to Scotland as a child. His debut collection, an allergic reaction, to national anthems (2009), was longlisted for the Frank O'Connor Short Story Award, and nominated for the EIBF Readers' Best First Book Award, both "in 2010. He is a show more recipient of the Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Award, was Scottish PEN's first crivain sans frontires, and is a former Hawthornden Fellow. McLaughlin is also a literary translator, specializing in contemporary Swiss fiction. He featured in Best European Fiction 2012 both as a writer and a translator. show less
Works by Donal McLaughlin
Associated Works
The Encyclopaedia of Good Reasons (The Swiss List) (2014) — Translator, some editions — 11 copies, 1 review
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McLaughlin's autobiographical collection of short stories is full of Scottish dialect and slang that your Kindle's dictionary won't help with--but you can figure it out with a little effort. These stories are mostly driven by feelings, not by plot or action. Most of the stories place the reader in the midst of an Irish family as it deals with the Troubles in Northern Ireland before moving to Scotland. They range from the serious to the comic and take place over a range of years as we see the show more main character first as a child and in the end as a grown up. Given that I'm an agnostic (or maybe atheist) former Baptist, it is a mark of these stories' success that they succeeded in pulling me in emotionally. This thoughtful collection may appeal to you as well, and I will definitely read more of McLaughlin's work if I have the chance. show less
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