Shane Hegarty on how you voted in A Novel Choice and on the books readers felt should have been included.
Some of you loved the list, some of you hated it. Many delighted in finding unexpected inclusions, many were frustrated by the novels excluded. Some felt it should have been limited to one book per author while others were baffled that entire canons weren't included.
Then you voted and declared Ulysses by James Joyce to be the greatest Irish novel in the English language. There will be no surprise in that. It has held a residency at the summit of such lists for many years. Yet, the results are as fascinating as the debate that led up to them - and which seems set to continue.
The original list of 50 novels was formulated by an Irish Times panel, together with a representative from The James Joyce Centre, and through canvassing of writers, academics and booksellers. No quotas were drawn up regarding gender, age or vintage. Of course, it could never avoid being somewhat subjective, and there were plenty of readers who took the time to tell us what they felt we had unfairly excluded.
Many complained there were not enough women writers on the original list - yet none made the top 10. The highest-ranking novel by a woman was Edna O'Brien's The Country Girls, placed at No 13. There were nine novels by women writers among the 50 initially proposed (but 10 women authors - Edith Somerville and Violet Florence Martin, "Ross", being the joint authors of The Real Charlotte), which reflects how, when choosing works from three centuries of writing, it is impossible to avoid the fact that, as with so many other spheres of society, women were traditionally under-represented in literary life.
Despite this, the original list suggested it wasn't necessarily an exclusive men's club, with the net cast wide, beginning with Maria Edgeworth's Castle Rackrent (1800) and including Elizabeth Bowen's "Big House" masterpiece, The Last September (1929), Kate O'Brien's The Land of Spices (1941), two novels from Jennifer Johnston and more recent works from Deirdre Madden and Molly Keane.
Some readers complained contemporary female authors were under-represented. Where, they asked, were Anne Haverty, Mary Lavin and Julia O'Faolain. However, while most of these readers championed named female authors, only a few specified books by them that should have been included.
This exercise was all about novels, not novelists. Ultimately, the only novel by a female author to be mentioned enough to rank among the top 10 most notable omissions submitted by the readers was Peter Abelard by Helen Waddell.
There was one female writer in particular of whom several readers inquired. "A shame that there is nothing by Maeve Binchy, the only Irish novelist of whom most foreigners have heard," one commented.
On the general front, some felt there should have been room on the list for Bernard MacLaverty, Ben Kiely and Walter Macken. Others believed the list was not modern enough, despite 11 of the novels having been published since 1990. There was some lobbying on behalf of Colum McCann, Eoin McNamee and Robert McLiam Wilson, but, again, without consensus on the novel to represent each of them. There was less grumbling over the exclusion of Joyce's Finnegans Wake than might have been expected, which suggests that while Ulysses has the reputation as being the most famous "unread" novel, Finnegans Wake also has a firm grip on that honour. There was a touch of tokenism about some of the arguments for its inclusion, as epitomised by the reader who commented: "No sign of Finnegans Wake? Not that I've even attempted to read it you understand, but I thought it would have made the longlist at least."
There was also debate over whether an author was best represented by the novels chosen. There was much discussion over which of John Banville's other novels should have been included, with The Untouchable just edging out The Newton Letter on that front. Some felt Colm Tóibímight have been better represented by The Heather Blazing than by The South, Roddy Doyle better served by Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha than The Woman Who Walked Into Doors and J.G. Farrell by Troubles instead of The Siege of Krishnapur.
The inclusion of C.S. Lewis divided opinion, although The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ultimately finished 12th. Some felt he was too "English" a novelist and the Narnia chronicles too preoccupied by Englishness to feature on an Irish list. "Although I voted for C.S. Lewis," commented a voter, "I hardly think he counts as a fellow Northerner. We all know how much he became an Englishman and allowed himself to be identified as such." However, many were delighted by the recognition given to children's literature, with some suggesting that Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl should have made it on to the list of 50.
Perhaps most striking is the impact John McGahern's novels have made on the Irish reader. Apart from Amongst Women finishing third, had That They May Face The Rising Sun been included on the original list, it may have polled very well. There are many people who believe the book to be an instant classic. "Rarely has a book moved me so much," was one comment, "with its beautiful evocation of a passing world and the richest of characterisations. I think it is an exceptional novel." Another described it as "lyrical but totally grounded in its locality (but where is its locality?! Everyruralland?) and in its humanity".
The novel received three times as many "votes" as any other that readers felt should have been included. Authors and their works come in and out of favour. Some novels that make a great impact in their day can quickly fade from memory. Yet the sentiment expressed by those lobbying for McGahern's most recent novel suggests it has made a deep impression on many readers. Ultimately, everybody loves a list, either because they enjoy the intellectual exercise of putting it into some sort of order or the fun that can be had from agreeing or disagreeing with it. And everybody loves the way one list has the potential to give birth to others. Some were aggrieved that, given Ireland's rich traditions, it left no room for short story writers. Some suggested it would be interesting to come up with a list of greatest Irish poems.
There were readers who felt it was unfair to exclude Irish-language novels. If there ever is a separate list for novels as Gaeilge, your comments suggest that Máirtín Ó Cadhain's Cré na Cille would be a firm favourite.
Finally, there were those who didn't quite grasp the idea behind the Greatest Irish Novels. "What about Proust and Virginia Woolf?" asked one perplexed reader . . . we'll leave that for another day's list.
To see the readers' ranking of the full list of the original 50 novels, go to www.jamesjoyce.ie