An Allergic Reaction to National Anthems
And Other Stories

"the language is consistent and wonderful... and the great strength of these pieces
is their collective impact" Colum McCann

"I have been captivated and excited by these short stories that let the reader into a
world something like that of the young Stephen Dedalus in James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, but Donal's is very much an original voice. I have read these stories with much delight." Barbara Trapido

"Donal McLaughlin's is a fresh and convincing voice." Ron Butlin, Sunday Herald

Set in the 1970s, Donal McLaughlin's 'Liam O'Donnell' stories move between the West of Scotland and Northern Ireland and use the languages and voices of both places. In this outstanding collection, the Liam stories sit alongside others with more recent and international settings. Several have already been translated.

Derry born, Donal McLaughlin has lived in Scotland since 1970. He works as a writer and literary translator both in Scotland and around Europe. His stories have appeared to great acclaim in numerous magazines and anthologies. Scottish PEN's first Ecrivain sans frontieres, he is also a recent recipient of the Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Award. This is his first collection.