Stephens, James, 1882-1950

James Stephens (Stephens, James, 1882-1950) was an Irish writer and poet. Eight of his works are collected here, spanning novels, fairy-tale collections, poetry, and documentary prose, showing a wide range of subjects. His representative works include The Crock of Gold, Irish Fairy Tales, The Insurrection in Dublin, The Demi-gods, Mary, Mary, The Adventures of Seumas Beg, Reincarnations, and Here Are Ladies. His writing often draws on Irish folklore and myth, with a light, humorous narrative and a language rich in poetry and imagination; his documentary work records his first-hand observations of the 1916 Dublin Rising. Public information is limited, and the details of his life are hard to verify, yet these works are enough to show his distinctive place in the Irish literary tradition.