In The Irish Times tomorrow, John Boyne writes about the art of book reviewing, as he reviews his 150th book for The Irish Times more than two decades after his first. Kevin Power lifts the veil on what it is like to be the judge of a major literary prize. Manchán Magan, author of Ireland in Iceland: Gaelic Remnants in a Nordic Land, reflects on the two nations’ historic links. Florence Knapp, author of hit debut The Names, talks to Nadine O’Regan. There is a poignant extract from This Interim Time, a new memoir by Oona Frawley. And there is a Q&A with Paul Perry, author of Paradise House.
Reviews are Karlin Lillington on Blackpilled: Incels, Media and Masculinity by Meadhbh Park and The New Age of Sexism How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny by Laura Bates; Terence Killeen on Ellman’s Joyce: The Biography of a Masterpiece and Its Maker by Zachary Leader; Declan Burke on the best new crime fiction; Paul D’Alton on The Episode by Mary Ann Kenny; Frank McNally on Dillon Rediscovered: The Newspaper Man who Befriended Kings, Presidents and Oil Tycoons by Kevin Rafter; Niamh Donnelly on Water in the Desert, Fire in the Night by Gethan Dick; Julia Kelly on The Good Mistress by Anne Tiernan; Adam Wyeth on To Avenge a Dead Glacier by Shane Tivenan; Karl Whitney on Scouse Republic: An Alternative History of Liverpool by David Swift; Derek Scally on Broken Republik: The Inside Story of Germany’s Descent into Crisis by Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes; Paul Clements on Irish Ordnance Survey Maps: A User’s Guide by Paul Mulligan; and Sara Keating on children’s fiction.
This weekend’s Irish Times Eason offer is Precipice by Robert Harris, just €5.99, a €6 saving.
David McLoghlin, Kerry Hardie and Mary O’Malley have been shortlisted for the 2025 Pigott Poetry Prize, Ireland’s most valuable poetry award with a first prize of €12,000, and €1,000 apiece for the runners-up. The winner will be revealed at the opening night of Listowel Literary Festival on May 28th.
McLoghlin is shortlisted for Crash Centre (Salmon Poetry); Kerry Hardie for We Go On (Bloodaxe Books); and Mary O’Malley for The Shark Nursery (Carcanet Poetry).
Selected from a strong field of submissions, this year’s shortlist was chosen by renowned poets Moya Cannon and Peter Sirr, who praised the richness and emotional depth of the entries.
Sponsor Mark Pigott said: “It is a joy and a privilege to support the Pigott Poetry Prize and to honour the creative spirit of Irish poetry. I would like to thank Moya Cannon and Peter Sirr for their thoughtful adjudication and to congratulate David, Kerry and Mary on this well-deserved recognition. Their work exemplifies the strength, beauty and importance of the poetic voice todays world.”
Listowel Literary Festival is a collaboration between Listowel Writers’ Week, Kerry Writers’ Museum and St John’s Theatre and Arts Centre. writersweek.ie
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Heart, Be At Peace, the latest novel by Donal Ryan, has been shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. The winner will be announced on June 25th.
“Troubled times lure out the very best from fiction,” Jim Crace, chair of judges, said. “Our shortlist, we agreed, should showcase fine writing in general but also a purposeful, and not a casual, engagement with politics – anything from national party politics to the politics of gender, family, race, community or work. We have selected eight complex and challenging novels. Only one can win. All should be read.”
Also shortlisted were: Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; Universality by Natasha Brown; The Harrow by Noah Eaton; Precipice by Robert Harris; The Accidental Immigrants by Jo McMillan; There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak; and Parallel Lines by Edward St Aubyn.
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing finalists are: Looking at Women, Looking at War by Victoria Amelina; Autocracy Inc by Anne Applebaum; The Baton and the Cross by Lucy Ash; The Coming Storm by Gabriel Gatehouse; Broken Threads by Mishal Husain; The Forbidden Garden of Leningrad by Simon Parkin; At the Edge of Empire by Edward Wong; and The World of the Cold War: 1945 – 1991 by Vladislav Zubok.
“Participating in the judging panel for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing has been both a pleasure and a privilege,” Kim Darroch, chair of judges, said. “Perhaps inevitably: the final list tilts towards The Great Powers: war in Europe, China and the West, Donald Trump’s America. These books show us how we got here, but there are also human stories of courage, sometimes tragic, from the past and present. And now just one task remains, the hardest of all: choosing a winner.”
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The Four Faced Liar literary magazine is currently open for submissions for issue four and while they have always paid writers and artists for their work, those selected for the top spots will receive a larger payment for this particular issue.
It has also announced four guest judges for each genre we publish: Roisín O’Donnell for fiction; Micheál McCann for poetry; Tim MacGabhann for creative nonfiction; and Cathy Sweeney for flash fiction. The submission deadline is June 30th. More details can be found on its website.
The Hinterland Festival of Literature and Arts has announced its programme of events for 2025, which, according to festival director Geraldine Gaughran, aims to bring visitors of all ages on an illuminating journey of debate, discussion, reflection and imagination on the world as it is – and how it might be.
Running from June 26th to 29th in various venues throughout the heritage town of Kells, Co Meath, the eclectic four-day programme offers a mix of author interviews, history talks, musical performances, children’s activities, art installations, and more. This year’s line-up includes distinguished national and international authors and contributors such as Martin Sixsmith, John Banville, John Boyne, Lara Marlowe, Kevin Barry, Roisín O’Donnell, John Creedon, Bryan Dobson, and many more.
Jack Lukeman will headline the festival’s music strand with Unbroken Songs 2025, celebrating his 30-year career.
Looking back: Hindsight@Hinterland explores 1975
The festival’s history strand, Hindsight@Hinterland, will this year focus on the year 1975, offering a fascinating look at Ireland and the wider world 50 years ago. Highlights include Supt Paul Maher on the challenges of policing during the height of the Troubles; a celebration of the work of the great comic novelist PG Wodehouse, who died 50 years ago, with historian Myles Dungan; and Simon Price on the music and enduring cultural impact of The Cure, followed by a live DJ set from his renowned 80s club night SPELLBOUND.
“We’re so excited to unveil this year’s Hinterland programme,” said festival director Geraldine Gaughran. “It brings together an incredible calibre of contributors and spans such a wide range of topics – from literature and music to politics, history and current affairs. What started 13 years ago as a small local festival has grown into a much-anticipated national event, drawing audiences from all over Ireland and bringing a fantastic energy and creativity to Kells each June.”
“We’re incredibly proud of Hinterland’s children’s programme,” Ms Gaughran added. “Hinterland is the only literature festival in Ireland with a dedicated and extensive strand for children and families. We’re looking forward to welcoming children of all ages to Kells this June – there’s something for everyone, from toddlers to teens.”
The full festival programme and tickets are now available at hinterland.ie.
Palestinian author Yasmin Zaher has won the world’s largest and most prestigious literary prize for young writers – the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize – for her debut novel, The Coin, marking 20 years of this global accolade.
Chosen in a unanimous decision by this year’s judging panel, The Coin draws on Zaher’s personal experiences to dissect nature and civilisation, beauty and justice, class and belonging in a vivid exploration of identity and heritage.
Namita Gokhale, chair of judges, said: “Whittling our exceptional longlist of 12 down to six brilliant books, and then again to just one, was not an easy exercise – yet the judging panel was unanimous in their decision to name debut novelist Yasmin Zaher as the winner of the 2025 Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize. Zaher brings complexity and intensity to the page through her elegantly concise writing: The Coin is a borderless novel, tackling trauma and grief with bold and poetic moments of quirkiness and humour. It fizzes with electric energy. Yasmin Zaher is an extraordinary winner to mark twenty years of this vital prize.”
The Coin, which was released in paperback on May 1st, is published by Footnote Press, a mission-oriented publisher committed to providing a platform for marginalised stories and perspectives.
Reviewing it for The Irish Times last July, Sarah Gilmartin wrote: “In Yasmin Zaher’s enthralling debut novel The Coin, a Palestinian woman flees her homeland for a grubby, post-2016 New York in the hope of an authentic experience and a better understanding of who she might be. This fearless quest for identity results in a bold, brash novel written with notable assurance and flair.”
The other titles shortlisted for the prize were Rapture’s Road by Seán Hewitt, Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden, I Will Crash by Rebecca Watson and Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good by Eley Williams.
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One of the highlights of this year’s International Literature Festival Dublin, which begins today, will be Telling the Story of Genocide in Gaza, featuring Atef Abu Saif, Ra Page & Chris Agee (who replaces Avi Shlaim), this Sunday, May 18th, at 4pm.
Atef Abu Saif‘s Don’t Look Left: A Diary of Genocide shows the journey of a man who arrived in Gaza as a government minister and ended the period, like most other Palestinians, living in a tent in a refugee camp. Chris Agee is editor of The Irish Pages Press, publisher of Avi Shlaim’s Genocide in Gaza: Israel’s Long War on Palestine, which places Israel’s policy towards the Gaza Strip under an uncompromising lens. Ra Page is CEO of Comma Press, publisher of Atef Abu Saif.
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On Saturday, May 17th, Minister Jack Chambers will officially launch Internal External/ Interne Externe, a new bilingual poetry collection by Jean Pierre Eyanga, at Blanchardstown Library from 11am to 1.30pm.
Written in both English and French, the collection reflects on migration, identity and connection - woven from the author’s personal experience as a Congolese-Irish writer navigating the internal and external landscapes of belonging.
“This book is an invitation to pause, reflect, and connect - with oneself and with others - across language, memory, and meaning,” Eyanga said.
The launch will feature live readings, music and a short conversation on the power of language and place. jpeyangaauthor.com
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Scena presents the Irish premiere of Strong Wind, a new play by Nobel prizewinning author Jon Fosse, translated by Mai-Brit Akerholt, in Smock Alley Theatre from May 26th to 31st.
A man has been away for a long time. He returns and peers out the window of a flat that he shares with his wife. But is it still his home…and is this even his life? Or does he belong to the past — a spectator of his own abyss?
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Rathfriland, Co Down, hosts the first ever Rath Literary Festival next month, from Friday to Sunday, June 6th to 8th.
Big names taking part include Femina Culpa, a poetry collective featuring Emma McKervey, Milena Williamson, Linda McKenna and Kelly Creighton. Their most recent poetry collections have all been inspired by the stories of nineteenth century women who were caught up in the criminal justice system or who were victims of crime. Their work has been based on archival research and seeks to uncover the voices of these women through poetry.
Belfast author Tony Macauley and singer songwriter Duke Special, will collaborate for a special evening on Saturday.
Dublin-based novelist Martina Devlin will discuss Charlotte Brontë in Ireland. In her latest novel, Charlotte, she explores Charlotte Brontë’s life and her strong Irish connections.
Scottish singer and songwriter Pauline Vallance and Jacynth Hamill bring their show, an imagining of the Brontë Sisters coping with the chaos of the Edinburgh Fringe.
Events will be taking place in Chandler’s House and the old Belfast Bank in Rathfriland Square and on Sunday will move to the historic, atmospheric and unique schoolhouse and church where Patrick Brontë was minister.
Also taking part are local authors and artists, including Maggie Doyle and Dr Linley Hamilton, who will begin the festival with an evening of prose, poetry and jazz based on Maggie’s book Mountain Notes, which was inspired by the breathtaking Dromara Hills.
Ballyroney storyteller, musician and educator Anne Harper will perform ‘Myth, Magic and Music: The Bardic Heritage of Iveagh’.
Brontë scholars estimate approximately 2,500 books worldwide have been published on the Brontës, many refer to, but only one, The Brontës in Ireland, deals exclusively with the Irish part of the story and it was written by Dr William Wright. Dr Wright’s descendant, Finnard-born Uel Wright, will take us through the story of the Brontës in Ireland drawing out their significance and importance for our understanding of the Brontës.
Also from Finnard, experienced tour guide Shelagh Henry will lead a historic walking tour ‘Hellfire and Heroines Tour: A Rich Tapestry of Rathfriland’s History’ sharing stories of the town’s former famous residents. nTo book, click here.
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The National Concert Hall presents an evening with broadcaster John Simpson as part of His Leaders & Lunatics tour on November 6th at 7.30pm.
He takes a bold, unflinching look at leadership: why some inspire while others descend into tyranny. And…are all tyrants ‘lunatics’?
Simpson stated his career with the BBC in 1970 and has reported from the front line of many of the events that have shaped the world we live in today; the Iranian Revolution, Tiananmen Square, the Gulf War and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
He also has a long association with Ireland, as a correspondent based in Dublin in the mid-1970s, Simpson returned to live in Ireland on two more occasions, the most recent in 2013. With a grandmother from Co Tipperary, he has both Irish and British citizenship.
From notorious figures including Putin, Assad, Saddam, Mugabe, and Gaddafi to admired leaders such as Gorbachev, Mandela, Havel, and Zelensky, he will reveal their common threads, unique quirks, and lasting impact.
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The Booksellers Association has announced the shortlisted titles for this year’s Indie Book Awards, the only awards for authors and illustrators judged by independent bookshops.
The winners will be announced during Books Are My Bag’s annual Independent Bookshop Week (June 14th-21st).
Children’s: Finding Bear by Hannah Gold; Ghostlines by Katya Balen; Murder for Two by Niyla Farook; The Falling Boy by David Almond; Brielle and Bear: Once Upon a Time by Salomey Doku; Reek by Alastair Chisholm.
Picture Book: Bear by Natalia Shaloshvili; The Dinosaur Next Door by David Litchfield; Farah Loves Mangoes by Sarthak Sinha; The Golden Hare by Paddy Donnelly; Invisible Dogs by Ruby Wright; Runaway Cone by Morag Hood.
Fiction: James by Percival Everett; There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak; The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry; Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagan; The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier; Think Again by Jacqueline Wilson.
Non-Fiction: A Bookshop of One’s Own by Jane Cholmeley; Ingrained by Callum Robinson; Dispersals by Jessica J. Lee; Reading Lessons by Carol Atherton; The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing; Welcome to the Club: The life and lessons of a Black Woman DJ by DJ Paulette.
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Wexford Festival Opera is delighted to announce more details of a new work from Colm Tóibín and Andrew Synnott which will premiere as part of 74th Wexford Festival Opera this October. This follows Colm Tóibín and Alberto Caruso’s collaboration for WFO 2024 with their Pocket Opera (Opera Beag) LADY GREGORY: In America.
This new work, Urban Legends, will commence on 19th October and will be performed as late-night operas at 11pm in Green Acres Art Gallery in Wexford town. Each performance will last approx 20 minutes.
The work is inspired by the urban legend that if you walk from one end of Wexford’s Main Street to the other end, you will pass the person you are going to marry.
Two young lovers set out from either end of the Main Street at noon and—according to legend—are destined to meet and get married. Both are single, both are in search of love. Will they meet? And if they do, will they fall for each other? Each night, we find out more clues of when and where - at what point on the street - they will finally meet and sing a love duet.
These three different short late-night operas explore this legend over three separate nights at Green Acres Gallery. Each 20-minute stand-alone performance will be presented twice during the festival and can be enjoyed individually or as part of the series.
Artistic Director Rosetta Cucchi said, “I am so delighted that Colm Tóibín and Andrew Synnott have come together to create this special new work. This project began with an initial conversation that Colm and I had last year. Wexford Festival Opera is so intrinsically linked with Wexford town itself. Creating a work around one of the urban legends here seemed to fit so beautifully into the overall WFO theme this year of myths of legends and I can’t wait to experience it myself during WFO 2025.”
Booking is now open at wexfordopera.com
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Presented by Lindsey Hilsum, and supported by Index on Censorship, one of the world’s most celebrated and visionary authors, Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, was crowned as the fourth recipient of The British Book Award for Freedom to Publish at a ceremony in London this week.
Showcasing the importance of the global agenda to UK readers, significant awards went to American novelist Percival Everett who won Author of the Year for James, and Alexei Navalny, whose posthumous memoir Patriot won Overall Book of the Year, collected by Julia Navalnya in a powerful speech.
In a video acceptance speech, Atwood said: “I cannot remember a time during my own life, when words themselves felt under such threat. Political and religious polarisation, which appeared to be on the wane for parts of the 20th century, has increased alarmingly in the past decade. The world feels to me more like the 1930s and 40s at present than it has in the intervening 80 years.
“I have worked as a writer and in my youth in small press publishing for 60 odd years. Those years included the Soviet Union, when Samizdat was a dangerous method of publishing. Hand-produced manuscripts were secretly circulated, and bad luck for you if you were caught. [They now include] the recent spate of censorship and book banning, not only in the oppressive countries around the world, but also in the United States. [They also include] the attempt to expel from universities anyone who disagrees with the dogmas of their would-be controllers.
“This kind of sentiment is not confined to one extremism or the other - the so called left or the so called right. All extremisms share the desire to erase their opponents, to stifle any creative expression that is not propaganda for themselves, and to shut down dialogue. They don’t want a dialogue, they want a monologue. They don’t want many voices, they want only one.”
