The Return of “Islay”
For Immediate Release
Contact: editor@clercscar.com
AFTER 24 YEARS, A DEAF CLASSIC RETURNS
St. Paul, Minn. – Clerc Scar Books is bringing back to print a classic of Deaf literature, Douglass Bullard’s novel “Islay.” When it first appeared in 1986, it created a sensation in the Deaf community and the five thousand copies quickly sold out, and it has been out of print since. That is, until now.
“Islay” is the story of Lyson C. Sulla’s quixotic mission to turn the small, quiet state of Islay into a state the Deaf community’s own. But he is no blazing hero; in fact, he can hardly stand on his two feet. Still, he succeeds, or rather, the colorful circle of friends around him and the Deaf community succeed in invading the state, buying up whole swaths of land, starting up new businesses, and befriending the residents and teaching them sign language. The Governor and his henchmen suspect Lyson to be a Federal agent pretending to be deaf. The oralist superintendent of the Islay Institute for Communication Disorders is obsessed about stopping people from signing. The suave Deaf newspaper editor Gene Owles is determined to drive every last hearing person out of the state. All of these conflicting elements make for a hilarious, rollicking tale.
“The novel ranks among the finest in American literature,” says Cynthia L. Peters, professor of English at Gallaudet University. “It is the first novel written by a Deaf American with Deaf American characters.” There have been novels with deaf characters before “Islay,” but all were written by hearing authors; conversely, deaf writers have written novels before, but not about the Deaf community.
“We are thrilled and honored to bring back such an important book,” says John Lee Clark, publisher of Clerc Scar Books. “This novel is all about our community’s oldest and most enduring dream: having a place of our own. I love it that it is not some superhero who pursues the dream, but an ordinary, clumsy guy like Lyson. My only regret is that Douglass passed away before he could see his book come back. But I think he knew that it would, just as the dream keeps on coming back to us Deaf Americans.”
“Islay” is scheduled to be released at the end of July. It can be preordered at the discounted price of $19.95 at http://www.clercscar.com/books/preislay.html
