Ireland in the 5th Dimension: Review of Arthur Broomfield's An Ireland of Snakes and Bollards


In the grand tradition of experimental novels, Broomfield has outdone himself and rightfully belongs in the illustrious company of Pynchon, Celine, Genet, Beckett, Fosse, and Mabanckou.

This novel is one big package of irreverent, outrageous, and funny storytelling. Broomfield has a flair for eccentric characters and absurdist situations. He blends surrealism, wit, and satire, pushing the boundaries of conventional narrative to their limits. Broomfield's writing style reminded this reader of the narratives by the playwright Enda Walsh.

Broomfield constructs an "imagined Ireland somewhere in an elsewhere," a landscape that resembles the real country but is warped into a carnival sideshow of oddities - bog entrails, croquet clubs on the Aran Islands, buttered scones at dawn, and vaccines packed in beet-pulp sacks. These details create a world that is both ridiculous and strangely recognizable.

At the center of this novel is a bizarre philosopher whose quest to discover "the true origin of light" becomes a national spectacle. His journey through rural communities, government offices, clerical circles, and media backrooms becomes a vehicle for Broomfield's mastery of satire.

Other readers have noted that Broomfield continues the tradition of Swiftian satire, Beckettian absurdity, and the mockery of Enda Walsh. This is seasoned with a 21st-century vitality that makes the novel feel fresh.

This reader's final verdict is that this is a bold, darkly comic satire that revels in the strange and maybe true. It's ideal for readers who enjoy surreal humor, philosophical misadventure, and Irish literature that isn't afraid to be downright weird, chaotic, and sharply funny.

Dr, Arthur Broomfield is a Laois-based novelist, poet, short story writer, and Beckett scholar. "An Ireland of Snakes and Bollards" is his second novel and his 14th published book. reflecting decades of literary engagement and a deep familiarity with Irish cultural traditions.

 

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