Desmond Fennell and Michael McDowell: not exactly ideological bedfellows, yet they share a few things in common
Reviewed: The Radical Thinking of Desmond Fennell; and The Definite Article: Collected Writings of Michael McDowell
By Andrew Lynch
Esther Freud: ‘My sister always wants me to be harder, be meaner, be tougher. To cut through’
Children’s fiction: The Moon Seeker is a wildly original debut and worthy Staróg prize-winner
Éilís Ní Dhuibhne is new Laureate for Irish Fiction
Michael Haag’s biography of Lawrence Durrell is important and often revelatory, but it is not neutral
Austin Taylor: ‘I found it so fascinating and poignant how we portray women in the media, especially powerful women who make mistakes’
Crime fiction: domestic noir at its most beguilingly chilling
To Rest Our Minds and Bodies by Harriet Armstrong: Ambitious, stylish novel is like The Bell Jar for Gen Z
SHORT STORIES
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POETRY
Idle Grounds by Krystelle Bamford: Riotous, dark debut marks the arrival of a singular new talent
By Miriam Balanescu
David Gentleman’s Lessons for Young Artists: advice for living well, for people of all ages
By Gemma Tipton
Author James Rebanks: ‘There is something to be said for knowing you lived in accord with your values and beliefs’
By Martin Doyle
Tree Hunting by Paul Wood: a supremely fascinating book that seeks to channel our frequently unarticulated love for trees
By Neil Hegarty
Human Resources: Slavery and the Making of Modern Britain – Ireland was not exempt from involvement
By John Walshe
Oddbody by Rose Keating: Superbly crafted horror stories about having a body and being a woman
By Kevin Power
