Reappraisal of a Novelist from Northern Ireland, George A. Birmingham

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My research project was to reveal the value and the significance of the work of George A. Birmingham (1865 1950), who is totally neglected today. Although he was born in a Protestant family, he turned a Nationalist and wrote novels in which the protagonists fought for an independent Ireland. However, those novels show that the realization of an independent Ireland is difficult because the Nationalist cause and the Unionist cause are equally legitimate. Later he realized the fact that the conflict could never be solved if Nationalists and Unionists were to stick to their causes with bigotted allegiance. Birmingham came to believe that things should not be taken too seriously. Then he turned to writing humorous fiction, which showed his good wills and sincere wishes for reconciliation between both causes.My approach to Birmingham was to read other Northern Irish novelists as well as Birmingham to make clear his particular significance. In Northern Ireland, fiction is regarded as less distinguished than poetry and drama. But the reading of Northern Irish fiction made me realize that there are many significant novels and their authors try to explore in their own ways how to "cross borders". Novels by Glenn Patterson, Robert McLiam Wilson and Deirdre Madden especially show that Northern Ireland holds rich diversities and possibilities that transcend Nationalism and Unionism.Through the research of Birmingham and other Northern Irish novelists, I discovered that, even if they only describe Northern Irish problems, their works hold a lot that appeal to universal minds. I am going to publish my research results in a book which will be called Possibilities That Lie in Northern Irish Fiction : Quests for "Reconciliation" and "Universality".