Nolan's first book, Dam-Burst of Dreams, was described by critic
John Carey as 'a jubilant, lawless debut... he plummeted into
language like an avalanche... language extending beyond its own
boundaries, and beyond our reach.' Under the Eye of the Clock, his
second book, published in 1987, tells his own story through the
life of the character Joseph Meehan who recalls his childhood as a
survivor of the accident which left him brain-damaged, mute and
paralysed. This is brilliantly moving stuff, enhanced by Nolan's
eloquent largeness of language and his fine-tuned emotional
responses. Sparing the reader none of his awkward contortedness, he
points beyond it: 'Many a good laugh was had by teacher and pupil
as they deciphered his code. It was at moments such as these that
Joseph recognized the face of God in human form.' This account
takes us from his teacher's efforts to help him type through to
Joseph's exposure to a large audience - the global response to his
talent as a writer. 'He had for years clustered his words, certain
that some Cyclops-visioned earthling would stumble on a scheme by
which he could express hollyberried imaginings.' Twelve years
later, Nolan has re-emerged, an adult writer tackling new and
complex themes in The Banyan Tree. Quite apart from the feat of
writing it - typing words with a head-mounted pointer - it is a
remarkable book. This is the story of Minnie O'Brien; we meet her
in old age as she struggles to keep together her land for the
return of her young, prodigal son. Poetic, steeped in the
experiences of the land, and brimming with both the frolic and deep
joy of language, it marks another step in the development of a
unique talent. (Kirkus UK)
A powerful and moving autobiography from a gifted writer who has
been compared to Joyce and Yeats. 'A book of sheer wonder. As an
author he competes as an equal with the ablest of them' DAILY
EXPRESS This is the story of Joseph Meehan, born cruelly
handicapped and known to the world as 'the crippled boy'. Filled
with insight into the soul inside a broken body and warm with the
beauties of the Irish landscape it is the story of Joseph's fight
to escape the restrictions and confines of his existence. UNDER THE
EYE OF THE CLOCK can also be read as the autobiography of its
author, Christopher Nolan.
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