Bean counters not so much in the red as into purple prose

THE Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (ICAI) has entered the world of fiction publishing and it has nothing to do with annual company accounts.

The venerable Dublin-based body for bean counters has just published Great Eagle Wood, written by Cork-based accountancy lecturer Derry Cotter.

It's an Animal Farm-type novel that "paints a charming picture" of an animal republic where "eagles provide leadership, ducks the entrepreneurial guile, and beavers the backbone to make things happen".

It involves a banking system run by the Rat; a stock market; and a woodwide web run by the Spiders.

"But when their habitat comes under attack, the very existence of the wood is threatened, and the animals are force to take desperate measures to ensure their survival.

"And, if you've ever pondered the difference between a bull and a bear market, you'll want to visit Great Eagle Wood."

Or do a Google search.

For a body reknowned for its conservatism, the ICAI's move into fiction is something of a radical step.

Hopefully, it's not planning to ask its council members to pose in all their glory for a calendar in aid of charity.