Dublin Writers
While staying in Dublin, visitors will find that they often hear the names of literary figures in association with various pubs, stores and landmarks around town. Dublin has been home to some of the finest writers of the past centuries, including James Joyce, Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde and William Butler Yeats.

Each of these authors has played a major role in the literary world, and their work is admired by countless readers. While in Ireland, their books can make for a great read while sitting in a restaurant or cafe, riding on the bus or train, or while lounging on the beach. Many of the tales penned by these authors take place in Ireland, and carry a distinct Irish tone and flavor in their words. Each of the following pieces of literature make for perfect reading, so find a bookstore and prepare to immerse yourself in the world of one of these exceptional authors!

James Joyce
James Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, who was born in Dublin in 1882 into a poverty-stricken home. He studied at Dublin's University College before moving away to Italy where he married and had two children. Throughout the years they lived in Italy, Paris and finally Zurich, where he died in 1941. His innovative literary works have made him one of the most admired and respected authors of the 20th Century.
Suggested Reading:
Ulysses
Dubliners
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Website www.jamesjoyce.ie

Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin in 1667. He was educated at Trinity College, and later moved to London to work as a secretary. During his time in London he attempted to write as much material as possible, but burned most of it in bouts of self-doubt as a writer. Upon returning to Dublin years later, he continued to write and grew respected for his satire.
Suggested Reading:
Gulliver's Travels
A Modest Proposal
*Swift also wrote many poems, and a collection of his poems is also recommended.

Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde was born at 21 Westland Row, Dublin in 1854, to a doctor father and writer mother, who wrote under the pen name 'Speranza'. He attended both Trinity College and Oxford in England. In the following years, he wrote many well-received plays, until he was accused of Sodomy in 1895 and was sent to prison. During this time Victorian England also cancelled all of his plays. Upon his release he moved to Paris, where he died in 1900.
Suggested Reading
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Picture of Dorian Gray

William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was born in 1865 in Dublin, the son of John Butler Yeats, a well-known Irish painter. He divided his childhood time between London and County Sligo before moving back to Dublin at the age of fifteen to study painting. Realizing that poetry was where his true talents lay, he switched to writing. Yeats was, throughout his life, deeply involved in Irish polities and the attempt to revive Celtic culture. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work in 1923, and in 1939 he passed away.
Suggested Reading
The Collected Poems of William Butler Yeats