Léirmheasanna: Manchán ar Seachrán: Ó Bhaile Átha Cliath go Nairobi (Coiscéim, 1998)

Léirmheasanna: Manchán ar Seachrán: Ó Bhaile Átha Cliath go Nairobi (Coiscéim, 1998)

‘This book is a jewel. An account of a journey the author took along with 20 others in an old army truck through a large part of Africa. The author’s warm-hearted personality woven through. An open honesty with regard to his relation with the others on the trip. But it is Africa that emerges as the real hero – its mystery and terror,  its beauty and brutality. A gripping fluency to the narrative. A wonderful  read.’

 Alan Titley, Books Ireland, February 1999

‘It's a good read: candid without being lurid, sharp without being bitchy. From a linguistic point of view, I was delighted. Magan has a sharp eye. It's a refreshing book. It's not just that there's a keen sensibility in the telling or that it's something a wee bit different in Irish, it's also the fact that there are still 20-year-olds in Ireland who have the courage to tune in and drop out.’ 

Pól Ó Muirí, The Irish Times, August 1999

Is iontach an léargas é Manchán ar Seachrán: Ó Bhaile Átha Cliath go Nairobi, ní amháin ar thuras dochreidte tríd an mhór-roinn is lú aithne ar domhan ach ar aistear intinne. Is comhartha ómóis é an leabhar seo do spiorad iontach na dtaistealaithe óga… Ní clabaireacht leathchruinn, leathphearsanta an dtreoirleabhar Lonely Planet atá anseo, ná bladaireacht shotalach Paul Theroux. Bhí sé deacair orm an leabhar seo a chur uaim. Ní hamháin gur chuir mé spéis sna léargais ar na tíortha éagsúla ar thaistil sé tríd, ach chuir mé an-spéis I léargas Mhancháin ar dhinimic an ghrúpa. Bhain oscailt agus macántacht an údair siar asam uaireanta agus mhéadaigh mo mheas ar an saothar dá bharr.

‘Instealladh beochta’ do litríochta na Gaeilge a tugadh ar Manchán ar Seachrán cheana. Ní ar litríochta thaistil ba thuisce a smaoineofá mar ‘instealladh beochta’ do litríocht ar bith, ach trasnaíonn an leabhar seo genre na litríochta taistil agus faigheann muid gnéithe den Bildungsroman agus de genre na ‘scannán-teacht-in-inmhe’ fosta.

Ní instealladh beochta a thabharfainn ar Manchán ar Seachrán, áfach, ach instealladh spioraid – athnuachan spioraid ar a laghad. Tá an dearcadh úr féinscrúdaitheach mar a bheadh leoithne fhionnuar earraigh ann. Alex Hijmans, Foinse. January 1999

 (Aistriúchán:  Manchán ar Seachrán provides a wonderful insight, not only into an incredible journey through the least-known continent on earth, but also into the mind. It is neither the inaccurate, impersonal prattling of the Lonely Planet nor the arrogant cajolery of Paul Theroux. It would be hard to beat his engaging style and his feel for the subject. I found it difficult to put the book down. Not only was I interested in the insights into the different countries through which he traveled, but I was fascinated by Manchán’s revelations regarding the group dynamics. I was taken aback by the author’s honesty and openness at times and this further heightened my respect for the work.

Manchán ar Seachrán has previously been described as an injection of life into Irish literature. One would not generally think of travel literature as capable of injecting life into any literature, but this book transcends the travel genre, showing elements of Bildungsroman and the coming-of-age-movie genre.

I would not call Manchán ar Seachrán an injection of life so much as an injection of spirit – or a rejuvenation of spirit, at least.  The refreshing, questioning outlook is like a cool spring breeze. Alex Hijmans, Foinse. January 1999)