Sam Hanna Bell: A Biography

Sam Hanna Bell (1909-1990) is known primarily for his novel of Ulster rural life, December Bride (1951). It was filmed in 1990 and was selected for Picador's The Modern Library: The 200 Best Novels in English since 1950, where they described it as a book which everyone interested in modern fiction should read; it shows what can still be done. His other novels, including The Hollow Ball, A Man Flourishing, and Across the Narrow Sea, were all well-received. He edited and wrote a number of works of non-fiction, including The Arts in Ulster. He also had a very long career in broadcasting, writing documentary scripts for BBC Northern Ireland and, with the support of the poet Louis MacNeice, went on to serve as a long-time features producer. Bell pioneered the collection and broadcasting of Ireland's then quickly-vanishing folklore and folk music from remote country areas. Many of these folk pieces and short stories were later collected in his Erin's Orange Lily/Summer Loanen and Other Stories. This handsome biography, based on Bell's personal papers and the reminiscences of family, friends, and colleagues, is a fitting tribute to one of the giants of Ulster literature.