Sir, – I have read Michael Dervan's piece about Aosdána with great interest and I think some benefit ("Aosdána is not perfect, but does anybody have a better idea?", May 7th). But why drag in the old book-shredding business, quoting Ruairí Quinn at some length?
The facts are as follows. I had no conversations with the director of the Arts Council about the book in question [Dreams and Responsibilities, The State and the Arts in Independent Ireland] prior to the shredding, let alone, to use Mr Quinn's curious phrase, "transactions of conversations". The only action I took in relation to the book was to review it for The Irish Times at the request of the then literary editor, John Banville. My review was on the whole favourable, if, as was my wont about everything in those days, occasionally humorous. I did towards the end point to a certain inadequacy in the book's author as a researcher. Why had he not interviewed me when he had spoken to so many others?
During the controversy which followed the shredding nobody apparently bothered to read my review though they copied each other in calling it an "attack". After the event of the shredding I did speak to the director of the Arts Council, who told me that 200 unsold copies had been shredded because they were "blocking the stairs". Mr Quinn's statement was made under cover of Dáil privilege. Even if he were to repeat it now without that cover I'm not sure I would take legal proceedings. Time in a sense other than that in which it precludes actions for libel is against me. My 22nd book (my 13th of poetry) Body and Soul will be out this autumn. But I have much more to write and, common sense tells me, sadly not a superfluity of time to do it in.
A couple of last points about Mr Dervan’s piece. All bodies of limited numbers are in some sense “elitist”. Surely experience of other aspects of Irish life would make peer-election by fellow artists preferable to appointment? Though I tend to agree with him about the number of members, surely to have a lesser number would make it more elitist, not less? – Yours, etc,
ANTHONY CRONIN,
Oakley Road,
Ranelagh, Dublin 6.