Kiely, Benedict (1919-2007), was an Irish literary critic and author. His fiction explores the people of Ireland, whether living in cities or villages, as well as the Irish landscape. He wrote about how the Irish are affected by the country’s cultural, religious, and social forces. Kiely’s first novel was Land Without Stars (1946). His other novels include The Cards of the Gambler (1953), Dogs Enjoy the Morning (1968), Proxopera (1977), Nothing Happens in Carmincross (1985), and God’s Own Country (1993).
Kiely’s short stories have been published in The Collected Stories of Benedict Kiely (2003). His nonfiction includes the historical survey Counties of Contention (1945), Modern Irish Fiction (1950), and “All the Way to Bantry Bay”: and Other Irish Journeys (1978). He wrote an autobiography, Drink to the Bird (1991). Kiely also edited several books, including The Penguin Book of Irish Short Stories (1981) and Yeats’ Ireland: An Enchanted Vision (1989).
Kiely was born on Aug. 15, 1919, in County Tyrone and educated at the National University of Ireland. He was literary editor of the Irish Press newspaper in Dublin and wrote for other Irish newspapers from 1939 to 1964. He taught at universities in the United States from 1964 to 1968 and became a visiting lecturer at University College in Dublin in 1970. Kiely died on Feb. 9, 2007.
