
Published: 04/04/2019

A vital, powerful book about the experiences of the author’s body through the pivotal events of life, Constellations is also a profound rumination on womanhood in modern Ireland and the importance of artistic expression. Frequently raw yet also poised and eloquent, Gleeson’s fine work is a superb slice of life writing.
Shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2020
I have come to think of all the metal in my body as artificial stars, glistening beneath the skin, a constellation of old and new metal. A map, a tracing of connections and a guide to looking at things from different angles.
How do you tell the story of a life in a body, as it goes through sickness, health, motherhood? How do you tell that story when you are not just a woman but a woman in Ireland? In the powerful and daring essays in Constellations Sinead Gleeson does that very thing. All of life is within these pages, from birth to first love, pregnancy to motherhood, terrifying sickness, old age and loss to death itself.
Throughout this wide-ranging collection she also turns her restless eye outwards delving into work, art and our very ways of seeing. In the tradition of some of our finest life writers, and yet still in her own spirited, generous voice, Sinead takes us on a journey that is both uniquely personal and yet universal in its resonance. Here is the fierce joy and pain of being alive.
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781509892730
Number of pages: 304
Weight: 384 g
Dimensions: 223 x 143 x 31 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Outstanding ... wide-ranging, intimate and expressive ... it's clear that Gleeson's insight is hard-won, and that, like the women who inspire her, she has found a way to transmute her experience into something powerful that demands to be heard.' - The Observer
'Utterly magnificent. Raw, thought-provoking and galvanising; this is a book every woman should read.' - Eimear McBride, author of A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing
'Sinead Gleeson has written one of those rare things, a wise and compassionate book full of truth and humility. There are universal themes here; love, the strength of women, survival against the odds. Beautiful prose, poetry and history woven together to make this a must-read and a masterpiece.' - Kit De Waal, author of My Name Is Leon
'Constellations is glitteringly brilliant ... Political, poetic, tender and angry, a remarkable book and an astonishing debut.' - Robert Macfarlane, author of The Lost Words
'Sinead Gleeson has changed the Irish literary landscape, through her advocacy for the female voice. In Constellations, we finally hear her own voice, and it comes from the blood and bones of her body's history. Sinead Gleeson is an absolute force: if you want to know where passion and tenacity are born, read this book.' - Anne Enright
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“Stunning”
Been getting into Irish literature more after Sally Rooney, as there is a stunning set of Irish women around today.
These essays by Gleeson are really sparkling - she has an excellent command of language, especially...
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“A Joy to Read”
Occasionally painful, always beautiful - a vibrant collection of essays bursting with the life of a human body.
“Stunning and emotional”
Firstly this is not a genre of book I would normally read but after seeing so many great reviews for it I had to give it a go. Wow I am so glad I did. What a beautifully written book this was. It was written in the... More
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