"The Ikon Maker" by Desmond Hogan
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
-
Finnegans Wake
13 min read
The podcast discusses a forthcoming opera adaptation of Joyce's notoriously difficult final novel. Understanding the experimental nature, circular structure, and linguistic innovations of Finnegans Wake provides essential context for why adapting it to opera would be such an ambitious undertaking.
-
Dalkey Archive Press
12 min read
The entire podcast series is devoted to mining Dalkey Archive's catalog. Understanding the press's mission to publish avant-garde and experimental literature, its founding by John O'Brien, and its role in keeping challenging literary works in print illuminates why these particular authors were chosen.
-
Irish Literary Revival
11 min read
Desmond Hogan emerged from a rich tradition of Irish literary innovation. Understanding the cultural and political context of Irish literature—from Yeats and Joyce through to contemporary experimental writers—provides valuable background for appreciating Hogan's place in this lineage.
"The Ikon Maker" by Desmond Hogan
Although Dalkey Archive did publish two works by Desmond Hogan (A Farewell to Prague, The House of Mourning and Other Stories), this episode covers The Ikon Maker, Hogan’s first novel from 1976, reissued in 2013 by Lilliput Press. Vince and Chad talk about this short, moving book about a woman whose adult son has moved to England and fallen out of touch, about the forthcoming (in 2039?) opera of Finnegans Wake, about Hogan’s disturbing conviction and ensuing disappearance, about the way sexuality is portrayed in The Ikon Maker, and much more.
The next book to be featured in this series is Threshold by Rob Doyle. (Who also wrote about the reissues of both The Ikon Maker and A Farewell to Prague.)
This episode’s music is “McLeyvier” by Rich Aucoin.
You can subscribe to the Mining the Dalkey Archive podcast at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and watch us on YouTube.
And be sure to follow our sister podcasts: Two Month Review (Apple, Spotify) and Three Percent (Apple, Spotify) for more book talk!
This excerpt is provided for preview purposes. Full article content is available on the original publication.