Norah Hoult’s ‘Poor Women!’

Irish author (Eleanor) Norah Hoult (1898–1984) travelled in prominent literary circles and corresponded actively with some of the leading Irish authors of the early twentieth century, including James Stephens, Brigid Brophy, Sean O’Casey and Sean O’Faolain. Despite her reputation and a forty-four year publishing career, Hoult’s oeuvre remains surprisingly neglected. This edition seeks to rectify that critical oversight by introducing Hoult’s short story collection ‘Poor Women!’ to a new generation of readers. Hoult is often compared to writers such as Kate O’Brien and Edna O’Brien for her representations of the oppressive facets of Catholicism. Less explored is her engagement with emotional paralysis and her detailed representations of widowhood and urban settings, inviting comparison to literary giants James Joyce and Mary Lavin. These similarities offer venues for further study.