Whenever I read the letters or memoirs of publishers and editors past, I am struck by how many of the principles they used still apply. These principles are rarely articulated in full, or discussed publicly today, yet despite all the change, they endure – I have noticed them in my own publishing work too. For me, a key principle is that publishing is a creative process. The following essay explores a classic example.
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‘That is the Writer’s Decision!’: The Legacy of Desmond Fennell
To mark the publication of ‘The Radical Thinking of Desmond Fennell’ on 6 June, Journal of Music Editor Toner Quinn reflects on his experiences working with the writer and their correspondence over almost twenty years.
A few years before Desmond Fennell passed away on 16 July 2021, he wrote to me and asked me to be one of his literary executors. I had begun publishing articles by Desmond in 2000 and, a year later, edited a collection of essays about his life and work. This was followed by publishing his part-memoir, The Turning Point: My Sweden Year and After, and, two years later, his pamphlet, Savvy and the Preaching of the Gospel.
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A lecture given at the first Desmond Fennell Summer Seminar on 14 June 2024 at Sandymount Hotel, Dublin 4, organised by Gerard O’Neill, Finbarr Bradley and James Bradshaw.
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Good morning everybody.
I’m delighted to contribute to this seminar on Desmond Fennell. Thank you Finbarr, James and Gerard for organising this event and for inviting me to speak.
Today I would like to explore the publishing dimension of Desmond Fennell’s work, including his ideas on book and magazine publishing, and I’d like to talk about my own publishing relationship with Desmond and discuss the current publishing scene.
I have been enjoying re-reading Fennell’s work over the past few weeks in preparation for this talk, and I want to thank Desmond’s son Oisín for providing me with books and essays that I didn’t previously have, and also for giving me access to some fascinating correspondences with publishers, which provide further light on Desmond’s publishing world.
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Toner Quinn 