![]() Queenan’s dad was abusive because his own “father had been beastly to him, abusive in the generally horrific way that Irish males often are to their sons.” Also, “he had grown up in the Great Depression.” ![]() How he emerged with a sense of humor and decency, not to mention a bellyful of (more or less controlled) rage, is the subject of this book. That Queenan survived a childhood spent under the fist of his father is astounding. ![]() In Closing Time, the humorist and author of nearly 10 books (including Balsamic Dreams), takes a dark look back at his abusive, alcoholic father and his youth in the projects of Philadelphia. ![]() And in literature by such titans as Eugene O’Neill and James Joyce, fathers range from scheming to tyrannical.Īdd Joe Queenan’s father to this notorious roster. Movies like “Good Will Hunting” and “The Brothers McMullen” are set in motion by abusive fathers. There is Frank McCourt’s dad, Malachy, from Angela’s Ashes. Irish fathers-in movies, books, memoirs and more-are often a disturbingly flawed group. Clearly, father and son had some unresolved issues-and the Gavins are not alone. ![]() In a subsequent fantasy sequence, Leary takes an ax to the old man’s coffin. On a recent episode of the hit cable drama “Rescue Me,” the Irish-American firefighter Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary) attends his father’s funeral. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |