Download this report as an MP3 sound file.

Short and Sweet

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.

They say every stamp has a story. A recent stamp from Ireland has a story – an entire
short story, written by a 17-year-old student participating in a creative writing
program.

“The thick clouds cover up the moonlight, but the city’s lights provide worthwhile
illumination...”

It’s 224 words, and every one of them appears on the stamp, black letters against a
bright yellow background. There’s no illustration – there’s no room.

The stamp celebrates Dublin’s selection as a UNESCO City of Literature, and promoted
the annual Dublin Writers Festival. An Post, the Irish postal agency, reminds us that
some of the world’s greatest writers have been inspired by Dublin, such as Oscar Wilde
and James Joyce, Samuel Beckett and William Butler Yeats.

“The city embodies the people, and the people embody the city,” wrote Eoin [“Owen’]
Murphy in the story. And a good stamp embodies the pride of its country.

I'm Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamp collecting,
visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com.

----------------------------------------------------------
Go to Previous Report
Go to Next Report

Go to Report Index