AN ASYLUM FOR MY AFFECTIONS [2026]

In a letter to her editor at The New Yorker, the Irish writer Maeve Brennan described the emotional landscape provided by her mother:

She gave me an 'asylum for my affections' and I learned that my affections so far exceeded her ability to understand me that she came near to drowning.

In this new anthology of essays about Maeve Brennan, ten contemporary Irish writers consider the various meanings of the word 'asylum': an institution, a site of incarceration, a refuge and a shelter.

They explore cityscapes and girlhood, mythology and folklore, loneliness and transience, the emotional impact of history and diaspora, as well as family connections to Brennan. These 'sketches' offer new and broader perspectives on Brennan's life and the continuing impact of her work in the 21st century.

Contributors include:

Darran Anderson

Niamh Campbell

Mary Cregan

Roddy Doyle

Arnold Thomas Fanning

Sinead Gleeson

Belinda McKeon

Eilis Ni Dhuibhne

Kate Phelan

Jessica Traynor