A pilgrimage from Belfast to Santiago de Compostela: The anatomy of Bernard MacLaverty's Triumph over Frontiers

In the last few years there has been a growing interest in irish affairs and, as a consequence, in Irish literature worldwide. Spain has been no exception. One can see many translations of irish novels, books of poetry and plays. The popularity of writing from Ireland has led to an identification with the sense of national identity it often expresses amongst minority groups in many parts of the world. In this part of Spain, Galicia, the struggle for independence in Ireland was received with sympathy and enthusiasm. If we look at the history of Galician literature there is an obvious identification with Ireland and its opposition to colonial repression.

Bernard MacLaverty visited the Faculty of Philology in Santiago de Compostela in 2000 and evidence of the popularity of Irish studies in Spain was given by his reception. He is a clear example of an author who has not avoided taking into account his origins and the particular circumstances of the place where he was born, but throughout his fiction he has transcended these circumstances and has proved that many of the conflicts of the Northern Irish are not simply related to their "nationality" but inherent in all humans. MacLaverty was born in Belfast in 1942 and lived there until 1975 when he moved to Scotland. He now lives in Glasgow. He has published four novels, Lamb (1980) and Cal (1983) -scripts for the film versions were also written by the author-, Grace Notes (1997) -short- listed for the Booker Prize-, and The Anatomy School (2001). MacLaverty has also written and published four collections of short stories.