Mary, Mary

James Stephens (1882-1950) was an Irish novelist and poet who sometimes wrote under the pen name James Esse. James Stephens wrote many retellings of Irish fairy tales. His retellings are marked by a rare combination of humour and lyricism. Deirdre (1923) and Irish Fairy Tales (1920) are often singled out for praise. Stephens began his career as a poet under the tutelage of George William Russell; his first book of poems, Insurrections, was published in 1909. He also wrote several books such as T