An Choill

An Choill; 116 pp; hardback; 978 1 909907 69 0

A novel by Liam Mac Cóil. A knight awakes in the middle of the woods, like a child, without any memory, and not knowing where he is. Step by step, he explores his surroundings and begins to make his way towards the light.

This is a philosophical novel by one of the country’s finest writers, written in the style of the 15th Century, the beginning of the age of printing and publishing. In An Choill Liam Mac Cóil tries to get to grips with the case of one of the Knights of the round Table, who didn’t reach the Holy Grail. This is the story of the man who doesn’t know. It might just be the story of everyman.

“Is úrscéal sár-nua-aimseartha é seo ina bhfuil an duine ag iarraidh ‘teacht ar a mhise féin’ ar bhóthar an tsaoil ar nós oiread sin laochra le cúpla céad bliain anuas. Ach an oiread leis an ridire, ní foláir duit do léamh féin a dhéanamh air.
Agus déanfaidh mar tá go leor den litríocht i bhfolach ina lúba: an Bíobla gan amhras, an Fhiannaíocht, an diagacht theagascach, ridirí an Bhoird Chruinn, Dante, agus mura bhfuil breall orm léim Wittgenstein amach – ‘an rud nach féidir labhairt faoi is éigean tost mar gheall air.’
Is í an stíl féin, áfach, laoch an leabhair, stíl Nua-Ghaeilge atá gearrtha as agus múnlaithe ar fhriotal an 15ú haois. Gaisce an méid sin. Más dóigh leat go bhfuil tú féin sa choill stíle seo i dtosach, rachaidh tú i dtaithí air go mear.” — Alan Titley, tuairisc.ie

More books by the author available from our online book shop

Read the review by Alan Titley in tuairisc.ie

Liam Mac Cóil interview at the Franco-Irish Literary Festival: