Longitude and Latitude

Longitude and Latitude: A Literary Portrait of Desmond O’Grady is the first full-length critical study of the Irish poet (1935–2014), whose international life and multilingual imagination shaped one of the most distinctive voices in modern Irish poetry. From his Limerick beginnings to years spent in Europe and the Middle East, O’Grady developed a body of work rooted in encounters, translation and travel yet anchored in the dignity of ordinary life. This study traces his evolution through close readings, exploring his engagement with classical and Arabic traditions, his poetics of attention, and his lucid late style. It also repositions O’Grady within the Irish canon, arguing that his marginalization reflects earlier critical limits rather than any shortcoming in his work. Written in accessible, reflective prose, this book presents a richly contextualized portrait of a poet whose global outlook and ethical clarity now appear strikingly contemporary.