An Apology for Roses, with a new foreword by Gearoid O’Brien

‘She had been born with a greater capacity for love and pleasure than most people; and her nature had very early on found itself at war with the primitive, property-ridden society in which she was reared.’

The story of Marie Fogerty, a young girl caught between two lovers, exposes the social and religious hypocrisy of an Irish town in the 1970s. Marie has grown dissatisfied with her affair with Fr Tom Moran, a loveless relationship condoned by her parents, observed by the town, and borne from mutual listlessness. However, the arrival of Brian Langley, a salesman from Galway, offers Marie glimpses of a new and passionate life. Brian’s suspicions about Marie’s past loves, and the dwindling health of Marie’s father threaten to tear apart a relationship that stands outside of a small town’s social norms. A meditation on love and possession, ‘An Apology for Roses’ remains as relevant today as it was when it first appeared in print.

 ‘In 1973 An Apology for Roses was a daring book by any standards. It was considered then to be a ‘dirty book.’  That it is being reprinted in 2016, forty-three years after it was first after it was first seized by the customs and submitted to the rigours of the censorship board, is refreshing. It sold over 30,000 copies in the first week of publication.’

— From the foreword  by Gearoid O’Brien.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Broderick (1924-89) was born in Athlone, County Westmeath, and died in Bath, England. He worked as a journalist and was author of numerous works including The Pilgrimage (1961), An Apology for Roses (1973), The Pride of Summer (1976), London Irish (1979) and The Trial of Father Dillingham (1982).