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Gemma Catalogue PRINT Aug08
12
AUTUMN 2008 Gemma H E L L O }
description
Gemma explores people and places and the spaces in between. GemmaMedia brings you a host of new stories, new insights on culture and introduces new lives from Manhattan to Mumbai, Seattle to Serbia, Baghdad to Ballyvaughan. Gemma crosses the divide between readers and writers—from well-loved authors encouraging new readers to writers revealing quiet lives and hidden communities to journalists who open distant worlds for readers at home.
Transcript of Gemma Catalogue PRINT Aug08
AUTUMN 2008
Gemma
H E L L O}
T I T L E S
4 Lola’s Luck: My Life Among the California Gypsies
CarolMiller
6 In High Germany DermotBolger
7 Not Just for Christmas RoddyDoyle
7 Sad Song VincentBanville
8 Maggie’s Story SheilaO’Flanagan
8 Jesus and Billy Are Off to Barcelona DeirdrePurcell
9 Ripples PatriciaScanlon
10 In Search of Iraq: Baghdad to Babylon
RichardDownes
Gemmacrossesthedividebetweenreadersandwriters—fromwell-lovedauthorsencouragingnewreaderstowritersrevealingquietlivesandhiddencommunitiestojournalistswhoopendistantworldsforreadersathome.Gemmabringsyouahostofnewstories,newinsightsonculture,andintroducesnewlivesfromManhattantoMumbai,HowthtoHoChiMinhCity,BaghdadtoBallyvaughan.
Inthisfirstcatalogue,youwillfindastunningpersonalstoryoflifeamongtheGypsiesinAmerica.Lola’s Luck introducesaremarkablewomanwhodrewayounganthropologistintohercolorfulsocietyandchangedherlife.Lola’sstory—“thestoryoftheworld!”—tellsofluck,kinship,loveandanentireworldhiddenfromview.
Fromtheothersideoftheworld,RichardDownes’passionateviewofIraqiculture—before,duringandasaresultofoccupation—showsacrumblingsociety,aclashofcultures,andapeopletornapart.AjournalistwiththeBBCandRTÉ,Downesprovidesaportraitthatrisesabovenewsreports.In Search of Iraqisamemorialtoadisintegratingnation.
Here,GemmaintroducesThe Open Doorseries,showcasingnewwritingfromauthorssuchasRoddyDoyle,DermotBolger,SheilaO’Flanaganandapantheonoftalent.Sixcharmingbookspublishedeachandeveryseasonareboundtoaffirmthetruththatastorydoesn’thavetobebigtoopenadoortoourworld.
You’vefoundGemma,abrightspotinthesky.Nowseethebrillianceofoursharedanddiversehumanexperience.
Andlookup.Theworldismuchbigger—andmuchsmaller—thanweimagine.
Trish O’HarePublisher
G e m m aW E L C O M E T O
exploring people and places and the spaces in between.
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Bette Davis. That’s who I’m like. Did you notice? Everybody says so.
GypsiesinAmericaarehidden.With
estimatesbetweenfiftythousandandmore
thanamillion,theGypsypopulationisas
mysteriousastheirways,andmisinformation
swirlsaroundthemlikesomuchpainted
fabric.Withremarkablevividness,Lola’s Luckpeersbehindthecurtain,pastthe
paisleywallsandtwinklinglightstofindthe
authenticstoryofanextraordinarywoman,
Lola,“expertadvisoronlove,businessand
marriage.”
AsayoungBerkeleygraduatestudentin
anthropology,CarolMillerpredictedafuture
offieldnotes,scholarlypublicationsand
afternoonlectures.Whenshebegantostudy
theMachvaiaGypsiesinSeattleandalongthe
WestCoastofAmerica,shedidnotexpectto
bedrawnsodeeplyintoaculturethatwould
changeherlife,andthoseoftheGypsies.
Doorafterdoorwasclosedbythefortune-
tellersandfutureseersshesoughttointerview.
Herluckchangedwhenshewaspressedinto
serviceasachauffeurbytheunforgettable
matriarch.TheflamboyantLolabecameher
guide,herinspiration,herluckandherfriend.
Loladescribedherearlyyearsinanoverload-
edwagon,movingacrossAmerica.Whenshe
joinedherhusband’sexpandingfamily,they
sleptintentsandtraveled,atfirstbyhorseand
wagon,andtheninacaravanofcars.
Memoir/BiographyISBN:978-1-934848-00-5
Paperbackoriginal
200pages
8-page color photo insert
5-1/2x8-1/2•$20
September
Carol Miller isananthropologistwhohasstudiedtheMachvaiaRomaofCalifornia.Gypsyritual,beliefandcelebrationarethetopicsofmostofherscholarlypublications.CarolMillerlivesinSeattle.
Lola’s LuckMy Life Among the California Gypsies
Carol Miller
G E M M A
Photograph by Margaret Hollenbach, c 1968
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“She was a Machvanka of Serbian Gypsy background, a bright, short, plumpish parrot, propelled to energy and movement by an abiding taste for the good things of life. She knew how to seize the moment and, just a few hours after we met, Lola announced with abrupt decisiveness that we were bound to be best friends. It was hard not to believe her.”
Lolawasbarvali,whichtotheRomameansbig,powerfulandlucky.Sheintroducedtheyoungscholartomagnifi-centpersonalitiesandoutrageousstoriesofthepast,andsheshowedherthetrueidentityofthemisunderstoodMachvaia.
Immersedinthisriotous,passionateworld,theyoungstudent’sheartstoodnochanceagainsttheaffectionsofamar-riedGypsyman.Soon,theirfrenziedandpotentiallyruinousaffairoverwhelmedthem.Wantingtostudyritualandkinship,theresearcherendedbystudyingtheheart.
“Lola said the great adventures are those of the heart, and that loving is always a risk. And not loving enough is riskier. That giving generously, with gladness and abandon, is something a person can count on; getting love back is serendipitous…life was short, too short, and the best plan of action was to ‘live like you are going out of style.’ “
Hereisafreshresponsetothestereo-typesthatsurroundGypsies,atraditionalculturetryingtokeepitselfaliveinthefaceofAmericanvaluesandcapitalism.Intheend,itisLola’sstory,“Thestoryoftheworld!”thatrivetsus.Handonhip,heartasbigasthewidestspace,aGypsy,yes,andaQueen.
The first significant Gypsy lesson to be learned was that a cold and unfeeling heart is unforgivable.
“AwildandbittersweetadventureintoaworldnonebutMachvaiaGypsiesknow”
—SusanSarandon
In High GermanyDermot Bolger
FictionISBN:978-1-934848-01-2
paperback•84pages
4-3/8X7•$12
September
AnIrishemigrantinGermanytellshissonaboutfootball,andabouthome,throughthenostalgiahefeelsforamatchplayedmanyyearsago.
ThisisthestoryofEuro’88,thelargestfootballeventontheContinent,andtheIrishteamarefrontandcenter.TheexcitementishighforfootballfanaticslikeEoin,ShaneandMick,allworkingabroad.Theyfindthem-selvesinGermanysupportingtheIrishteam,witness-ingthehighsandthelowsandtheculturaldividesthatseparatethem.
Fortheseemigrantfriends,homeisnolongerabirth-place.Homeiswheretheirteamplays,andtherewillbemanyadventuresonandoffthefieldbeforethefinalwhistleblows.
IncludedinthisfirstOpenDoorisA Poet’s Notebook—aselectionofshortpoemsaboutordinarylifebytheauthor,withhisnotesonhowandwhytheywerewritten.
Dermot Bolgerisaprolificnovelist,poet,playwrightandscreenwriter.HefoundedandeditedTheRavenArtsPressinDublin,whichhasbecomeNewIslandPress,oneofthemostdistinguishedliterarypublishinghousesinIreland.HisnumerousawardsincludetheSamuelBeckettAward,ÆMemorialAwardandTheStuartParkerBBCAward.DermotBolgerlivesinDublin.
I N T R O D U C I N G T H E • O P E N D O O R S E R I E S
ThisinnovativeprogramoforiginalworksbysomeofourmostbelovedmodernwriterswasfirstdesignedtoenhanceadultliteracyinIreland.Yetthesemarvelousstoriesaremuchmore,showcasingnewwritingfromauthorssuchasRoddyDoyle,DermotBolger,SheilaO’Flanaganandapantheonoftalent.Sixcharmingbookswillbepublishedeachseason.Open Doorsareboundtoaffirmthetruththatastorydoesn’thavetobebigtoopentheworld.
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FictionISBN:978-1-934848-02-9
paperback•92pages
4-3/8X7•$12
September
JohnBlaineisaprivatedetectivewhoworksDublin’smeanstreets.Heistough,talentedandsmart,butalwaysunluckyinlove.
Hiswifehasjustlefthim,andhe’ssadandsorry.Now,hiredtobringhomeastraydaughteroftherich,hetakesthegirl’ssideagainstherpowerfulfather,andsuffersforit.
Gripping,funnyandstrippedtothebone,Sad Songisashortnovelthatpacksapunchlikeafistinavelvetglove...
FictionISBN:978-1-934848-03-6paperback•90pages4-3/8X7•$12September
Vincent Banvilleisawriter,criticandjournalist.HeisthecrimefictionreviewerfortheIrish Times.VincentBanville’sfirstnovel,An End to Flight,wontheRobertPitmanLiteraryPrize.Heisalsotheauthorofchildren’sbooks,andlivesinDublin.
Sad SongVincent Banville
DannyMurphyisgoingtomeethisbrother,Jimmy.Theyhaven’tseeneachotherinmorethantwentyyears,andDannyisnervous.Onthewaytothepub,Dannybeginstorememberthegoodtimesandthebadtimes,thehumor,thefightsandthepivotalargumentthatfinallydrovethemapart.Cantheyturnbacktheclockandbecomethepalstheyusedtobe?Ordoesbadbloodgoon?Dannydoesn’tknow.
Fromthebestsellingauthorandscreenwritercomesastoryaboutfamily,jealousy,passionandredemption.WritteninRoddyDoyle’sdistinctive,intimatestyle,hereisapoignantobservationofordinarylivesbyawriterathisbest.
Not Just for ChristmasRoddy Doyle
Roddy Doyle’sBarrytoneTrilogy—The Commitments,TheSnapper,andThe Van—havebeenmadeintomajormotionpictures.HewontheBookerPrizeforPaddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha.AmonghisotherbooksareThe Woman Who Walked into Doors,A Star Called Henry, Paul Spencerandhislatest,The Deportees.RoddyDoylelivesinDublin.
Maggieisforty-threeyearsoldandlookingforromance.Shelovesherhusband,Dan,buthisideaofromanceisacoupleofdrinksatthelocalbarandanearlynightathome.Herchildrenthinkshe’stoooldtocare.Andshe’sbeginningtowonderiflifehaspassedherby.
Butachancemeetingchangesallthat,andnowMag-giefacestoughdecisions.Cansheputthesparkbackintohermarriage,orwouldshebebetteroffcallingitquits?Whoismostimportanttoher?Herhusband?Herchildren?Herself?
Billyisanaverage-lookingsixteen-year-oldwholivesinanordinaryhouseinanordinaryneighborhoodonthenorthsideofDublin.
Jesus,ontheotherhand,isabeautifulboywithcon-tinentalmanners,fromthemostsophisticatedpartofBarcelona.
Asanexchangestudent,JesuscomestolivewithBilly’sfamilyforthreeweeksduringthesummer.Attheendofhisstay–accordingtoThePlan–BillywillgobackwithJesusonareturnvisittoSpain.Andthen,thebestlaidplansgoawry.
FictionISBN:978-1-934848-05-0paperback•104pages4-3/8X7•$12November
Maggie’s StorySheila O’Flanagan
Jesus and Billy Are Off to BarcelonaDeirdre Purcell
FictionISBN:978-1-934848-07-4paperback•104pages4-3/8X7•$12November
O P E N D O O R
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Sheila O’Flanagan livesinDublin.Herfirstbook,Dreaming of a Stranger,publishedin1997,wasfollowedbyastreamofbestsellingnovelsintheUKandIreland.SeveralhavebeenpublishedintheUS,includingToo Good to Be True.OfHe’s Got to Go,Publisher’s Weekly wrote,“O’Flanaganmanagestokeepwisdomandhumorattheforefrontandtossesinnicetouches.”
Deirdre Purcellhaspublishedninecriticallyacclaimednovelssince1990.Love, Like, Hate, AdorewasshortlistedfortheprestigiousOrangePrizeandherbestsellingFalling for a DancerwasfilmedforRTÉandtheBBC.Journalist,novelist,raisedinDublinshenowlivesinMeath.
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TheMcHughs’marriageisontherocks.DaughterCiaraworriesthathermotherandfatheraregoingtodivorce.
Lillian,Ciara’sgrandmother,isworriedtoo.Sinceherbullyinghusbanddied,shehasbeguntoenjoyanicelifeofherownmaking.Whatifhersonleaveshiswifeandcomes‘home?’
“Theotherwoman,”BrendaJohnston,isveryhappy.ShehaseverythingtogainiftheMcHughsdivorce.Ordoesshe?
Meanwhile,MikeandKathyStuart,theMcHughs’bestfriends,arebeginningtowonderifthefriendshipcansurvivetheirdivorce.
Then,oneterriblenight,everythingchanges...FictionISBN:978-1-934848-06-7paperback•92pages4-3/8X7•$12November
RipplesPatricia Scanlan
Patricia ScanlanistheSeriesEditorandcontributingauthortotheOpen Doorseries.SheteachescreativewritingandisinvolvedinadultliteracyprogramsinDublinandthroughoutIreland.
Forthcoming OPEN DOOR Titles:
Joe’s WeddingbyGarethO’Callaghan
No Dress RehearsalbyMarianKeyes
Old Money, New MoneybyPeterSheridan
Pipe DreamsbyAnneSchulman
Second ChancebyPatriciaScanlan
The ComedianbyJosephO’Connor
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“One of the best books to come out of the coverage of Iraq. A beautifully written personal memoir [possessing] a startling writing capacity.”
Village
From1998untilthechaoticaftermathoftheinvasion,newsreporterRichardDowneswitnessedfirsthandtheincrediblechangesthathaveover-whelmedtheIraqipeople.
In Search of Iraq goesfardeeperintotheenvironmentthanthedailynewsreportsseenbytheWesternWorld.Smalleventsofordinarylifeandwhisperedconversationsinbackalleysareastellingasthegrandpoliticalstatements.
Withanunflinchingfocusonthecustoms,religion,cultureandhistoricaldiversityofallthecommuni-tiesintheregion,RichardDownesrevealsthetruehorrorandimpactofwar,aswellasthefriendshipsthatcanblossominacountrytorntoshreds.
Whatemergesisastunningmemorialtoadisintegratingnation.
Current EventsISBN:978-1-934848-04-3paperbackoriginal•288pages8-page color photo insert5-1/2x8-1/2•$25November
In Search of IraqBaghdad to Babylon
Richard Downes
G E M M A
Richard DownesisajournalistlivinginDublin.Afterworkinginthefinancialpress,hejoinedtheBBCwhereheworkedforadecade.ForthreeandahalfyearshecrossedtheAfricancontinentcoveringwars,insurrectionsandcatastrophes.HisBBCpost-inginJordanbroughthimtotheMideastin1998,andhesubsequentlyfoundhisnicheinIraq.Isolatedthroughinternationalsanctions,Iraqanditspeoplecaptivatedhim.VincentBrownedescribedhimas“thebestreportercoveringthewar.”Hehascon-tinuedtotraveltoIraqinthechaoticpost-warera.
PLACEHOLDER
ONLY
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It is impossible to understand Mohammed Darweesh without knowing where he came from. His hometown of Mosul is the most extraordinary city in Iraq, and its sons and daughters cherish it. Mohammed is entranced by Mosul, by its history, its vast religious and ethnic diversity and its stunning location as a bridgehead on the river Tigris. Mosul has Whirling Dervishes; Christians who speak the same language as Christ; Yazidi worshippers of a divine entity that others say is the devil; Kurdish, Shia and Sunni Muslims; Arab Sunni Muslims; Catholic and Chaldean Christians; Turcomens who originate from central Asia; and many other groups.
The accretion of culture that occurred over centuries has produced a distinctly Mosul view of the world. It is an urbane, liberal outlook on life, and Mohammed Darweesh is its embodiment.
— excerptfrom In Search of Iraq, byRichardDownes
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