Abstract

With its A4 size paper and scissors-and-paste layout look, the first series of Graph was a lively commentary on arts and culture in Ireland. It ceased and then re-emerged as a squat octavo under the imprint of Cork University Press. And in that second series of Graph there was a sense of the original editorial concept failing to hold its own against a university press looking for something akin to an academic journal. Graph (Second Series) did not last long. Now we have Graph again, well into its third series, and the news is good. Back to the thin A4 format, but with a glossier feel and a tidier lay out. It adheres to its original policy of not publishing poems, but gives a lively attention to contemporary writing. In this issue there is a review of some new Arnerican poetry, a piece by Grace Paley, and an interview with Thomas MacSiomóin, among other things. Barra Ó Séaghdha's "Jump Cuts" is a regular commentary on issues, often astringent. His paragraphs here on the politics of Paul Durcan, and Duncan's emulation of Francis Stuart in "the abjection stakes", raise questions that go beyond the recent journalistic tizzy about Stuart and Aosdána.