Mary Lavin

ML , an Irishwoman with US experience publishing in the mid and later twentieth century, is primarily known as a writer of short stories (nineteen collections published). She also produced some poetry (early), two novels and two books for children. Most of her stories depict personal struggles among Irish working-class or lower-middle-class characters, often in domestic settings: the intense feelings of people trained not to show their feelings. She is admired for her subtlety, restraint, and acute awareness of social conditioning, especially of women. ML 's work was slow in coming to critical attention. Critics have attributed this neglect to her not being explicitly nationalistic or political.