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Swift Satire Competition
Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) was one of the world's greatest satirists in the English language with works in both verse and prose. His most famous work is Gulliver's Travels and although it has captivated the imagination of children all over the world, it is in fact recognized as the most incisive political satire ever written. Swift Satire | Short Biography | Works by Jonathan Swift
Winners of the Swift Satire Competition
1st Prize, R. A. S. Fox £1,500
Joint 2nd Prize, Max McGowan and Iggy McGovern £500
Third Prize, David Butler £200s
The Swift Satire Competition is open to all nationalities and ages.
Rules of Entry
Entries should be submitted in prose or verse only. There is no word limit for the entries, which must be satirical in nature.
Closing date it the 30th of July. Winners are announced the end of August.
Entries should be sent to "Swift Satire Competition, c/o Michael Houlihan, Ballyragget, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland" or emailed to pjliston@hotmail.com. There is no application form for entry to the competition.
A single entry fee of USD 5.00, IEP £3.00 (Irish), £2.50 Stg or AUD 10.00 should accompany each submission by the entrant. Checks/Drafts should be payable to Kilkenny International Swift Society. Work submitted without an entry fee will not be read. In the case of work submitted by email, the entry fee should arrive in the post not later than 30th July 2001
The judge and committee reserves the right to withhold a prize in the event of entrants failing to achieve the required standard.
All entries received via postal mail must be in typewritten format.
Each entry should contain a cover sheet with the author's name, address, and telephone number and/or FAX and/or email address. ONLY the cover sheet should have this information. In the case of work submitted by post, entries longer than one page should be stapled together.
Each contestant can submit multiple entries at the standard cost per entry.
Each entry should be the author's original work and should not have previously been published.
Copyright of the winning entries will be retained by the Swift Society for the purpose of publishing the winning entries in a future anthology or as excerpts for the promotion of satire
Contestants should keep copies of their submissions as entries cannot be returned.
In the case of work submitted by post or email, the committee can bear no responsibility for non-delivery of the entries. For posted applications contestants should put a clear return address on the envelope in case of non-delivery.
For further information, please contact committee member pjliston@hotmail.com
A Satirical Elegy on the
Death of a Late Famous General
Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
His Grace! impossible! what, dead!
Of old age too, and in his bed!
And could that mighty warrior fall,
And so inglorious, after all?
Well, since he's gone, no matter how,
The last loud trump must wake him now;
And, trust me, as the noise grows stronger,
He'd wish to sleep a little longer.
And could he be indeed so old
As by the newspapers we're told?
Threescore, I think, is pretty high;
'Twas time in conscience he should die!
This world he cumber'd long enough;
He burnt his candle to the snuff;
And that's the reason, some folks think,
He left behind so great a stink.
Behold his funeral appears,
Nor widows' sighs, nor orphans' tears,
Wont at such times each heart to pierce,
Attend the progress of his hearse.
But what of that? his friends may say,
He had those honours in his day.
True to his profit and his pride,
He made them weep before he died.
Come hither, all ye empty things!
Ye bubbles rais'd by breath of kings!
Who float upon the tide of state;
Come hither, and behold your fate!
Let pride be taught by this rebuke,
How very mean a thing's a duke;
From all his ill-got honours flung,
Turn'd to that dirt from whence he sprung.
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift | Hardcover | Paperback | Audio Cassette | Audio CD | Large Print | eBook Microsoft | eBook Adobe | VHS | DVD
A Bibliography of the Writings of Jonathan Swift
by Herman Teerink, Arthur H. Scouten (Editor) |
Hardcover
Prose Works of Jonathan Swift | Hardcover
The Writings of Jonathan Swift | Paperback
Oeuvres by Jonathan Swift | Paperback
The Intelligencer by Jonathan Swift | Hardcover
The Correspondence of Jonathan
Swift; Volume I
by Jonathan Swift |
Hardcover
Gulliver's Travels (Open Guides to Literature Series) by Brean S. Hammond | Hardcover
The object of most of Swift's satire was political, usually in the form of an institution or a system, but sometimes in the form of an individual who typifies some corrupt institution or political interest. Although he often denied he was an Irishman, he passionately involved himself in the sufferings of the Irish people in the midst of all their distress and poverty.
He was born at No.7 Hoey's Court Dublin in November 1667. His father died before he was born and the young Jonathan was reared by his uncle Godwin. He saw little of his mother during his young years. When he was six years old he was sent to School in Kilkenny College, 8km from the Swift family home in Jenkinstown. Jonathan remained at Kilkenny College until he was fourteen years old having been educated in classical studies. He completed his education at Trinity College, Dublin and his first employment was as secretary to Sir William Temple.
It was during this period that he met 'Stella.' In 1702 he received his D. D. from Trinity and spent three years in London where he became immersed in politics. His influence in court brought him the Deanery of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.
In his latter days Swift sank into dementia, having become progressively morose and morbidly suspicious. He died on October 19th, 1745. He left sufficient fortune behind for the building of St. Patrick's mental institution in Dublin, the first of its kind in Ireland. He is buried in St. Patrick's cathedral.
Swift Satire Competition
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