The Ballad of Lord Edward and Citizen Small

A masterwork from one of the most inventive artists of our day -- John Banville
An expertly spun ballad defined by themes of belonging, illusion and, fundamentally, fidelity * RTÉ Culture *
Jordan is a writer of uncommon talent, particularly around pacing and visual description * Irish Times *
The historical research is evident [and] as with his previous novels, Jordan creates an evocative sense of time and place... Although the book is an odyssey, tracking thousands of miles across the globe, the pace is leisurely * The Times *
Neil Jordan is one of Ireland's greatest, if ever-so-slightly unsung, novelists * Hot Press *
The historical facts are here, in this beautiful work, laid out like a Dublin street ballad with its verses and chorus and a short afterword, containing a chapter poignantly titled 'The Greatest of These' from Corinthians 13, and Jordan doesn't seek to reinvent these men, rather to enhance them * Sunday Independent *
This panoramic, painstakingly researched novel – told through Small's voice – is a convincing reconstruction of the way their lives interlocked despite origins in diametrically opposed worlds * Irish Independent *
Creates a vivid new perspective * Sunday Times *
An atmospheric take on a fascinating friendship * The Times *
This strange relationship – of indenture, but also of mutual need – defines this thrillingly written, gripping tale that revisits many of Jordan's lifelong preoccupations with class, Irishness and sexuality to powerful moving effect * Observer *
Very little is known of Tony Small, the formerly enslaved man who was the servant and companion of Edward Fitzgerald, a prominent 18th-century figure in the cause of Irish nationalism. In The Ballad of Lord Edward and Citizen Small, the director and screenwriter Neil Jordan co-opts Tony as a narrator, giving him an affectionately acerbic perspective on the strengths and weaknesses of a man who begins the novel as a loyal member of the king’s army, fighting against the American rebels. This is just one of the many dramatic episodes in Fitzgerald’s short but wildly eventful life. Jordan has a wonderfully varied cast to work with. * The New York Times Book Review *