Items related to The Star Factory
Synopsis
This is a shaggy-dog story delivered without once drawing breath: a risky, nerve-wracking, extraordinary performance. The Star Factory of the title was an abandoned mill, full of Piranesian galleries and rusting machinery, which haunted the author as a child; roads converge on Belfast to form a stellar patter, in an ironic benediction of the city's sectarian divisions. But the Star Factory is also a place of the imagination, where history and decaying architecture are turned into stories. And this is a book about growing up in a city that is full of stories, weaving in and out of each other as Carson explores myriad cities of his native town, diving down "the wormhole of memory" into parallel worlds where religion, politics, and the sad magic of the dying shipyards and linen factories take manifold forms.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
Ciaran Carson, a Belfast-born journalist and musicologist, offers an unusually constructed history of his native city in this collection of sometimes whimsical essays that disguise a profound sadness. Remembering his boyhood fondness for building model airplanes, for instance, he touches on the religious imagery of the Troubles, artifacts of a mimesis that seeks "a parallel reality," one better than that of the present. Recalling another youthful fondness for shortwave radio, he reconstructs "an era when London, more importantly than Rome, was the hub of the universe, emanating authoritative spokes to its dominions. I hear it murmur as I write, and feel complicit with its now-declining realm." Carson, a Catholic, speaks to the possibilities of a Belfast free of its ghosts and seemingly interminable hatreds; his descent into "the wormhole of memory" yields a wonderful book. --Gregory McNamee
About the Author
Ciarán Carson is a poet, novelist, and translator. His translations include The Inferno of Dante Alighieri and The Táin. His novels include Fishing for Amber, Last Night's Fun, and Shamrock Tea. He has been awarded the Irish Times Irish Literature Prize and the T. S. Eliot Poetry Prize, as well as the Yorkshire Post Prize for The Star Factory.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherGranta Books
- Publication date1998
- ISBN 10 1862071179
- ISBN 13 9781862071179
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages304
- Rating
Buy New
Learn more about this copy
US$ 99.32
Shipping:
US$ 6.95
Within U.S.A.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
The Star Factory
Published by
Granta Books, 1998
ISBN 10: 1862071179
ISBN 13: 9781862071179
Used
Softcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. 1st. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 38280013-20
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Star Factory
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00051928039
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
The Star Factory
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.5. Seller Inventory # G1862071179I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Star Factory
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Good. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Seller Inventory # GOR002498608
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
The Star Factory
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR001199235
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
The Star Factory
Seller: Irish Booksellers, Portland, ME, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Seller Inventory # 12-1862071179-G
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Star Factory
Seller: Irish Booksellers, Portland, ME, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Seller Inventory # 1862071179-R
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Star Factory
Seller: AwesomeBooks, Wallingford, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The Star Factory This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9781862071179
Quantity: 3 available
Seller Image
The Star Factory
Seller: WeBuyBooks, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. Foxing to the pages. Seller Inventory # wbb0024390387
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Star Factory
Seller: Bahamut Media, Reading, United Kingdom
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9781862071179
Quantity: 3 available