Books

A round-up of the latest literary news and preview of tomorrow’s books pages

The Temple House Vanishing by Rachel Donohue is Irish Times book offer at Eason

Martin Doyle's face
Martin Doyle
Fri Oct 9 2020 - 16:51

The Temple House Vanishing by Rachel Donohue is this weekend's Irish Times book offer at Eason. When you buy tomorrow's paper, you can also purchsse the acclaimed debut thriller for only €4.99, a saving of €7. To whet your appetitte, here is our review and Rachel's essay on being a teenage girl in Ireland in the early 1990s.

Roddy Doyle talks to Patrick Freyne about his new novel Love and Roxane Gay talks to Roisin Ingle ahead of her appearance at the International Literature Festival Dublin. Reviews include Estelle Birdy on A Light that Never Goes Out by Keelin Shanley; Barry Pierce on Home Stretch by Graham Norton; Sarah Moss on The Art of the Glimpse edited by Sinead Gleeson; Christopher Kissane on Salazar: The Dictator Who Refused to Die by Tom Gallagher; Paraic O’Donnell on The Reacher Guy by Heather Martin; Sarah Gilmartin on Three Fifths by John Vercher; Frank McNally on The Running Book by John Connell; and Declan O’Driscoll on the best new translated fiction.

*

The Belfast International Arts Festival returns from October 12th until November 1st for its 58th edition. For obvious reasons, the majority of the programme is being delivered digitally this year - and for free. Highlights include Lennie Goodings of Virago Books; Jenny Offill; Elaine Feeney and Daisy Johnson; and Bryan Washington and Paul Mendez. Details here.

READ MORE

*

Listowel Writers' Salon is running a series of literary events online over the coming weeks, showcasing writers such as Rónán Hession, Kevin Barry, Miriam Gamble, Christine Dwyer Hickey and more during October. Follow the series on writersweek.ie

*

As part of this year's festival running from October 22nd-28th, International Literature Festival Dublin presents a series of events, under the title Compass, that celebrate stories and contributions from those whose roots lie outside of Ireland. Themes explored by the events include the concept of Irishness, migration, the power of language and stories and multiculturalism, with artforms ranging from theatre and poetry to music and dance. These events are free to attend but the festival is inviting donations from audiences, with 100 per cent of proceeds going directly to the writers and artists in the programme. For more see ilfdublin.com

*

The Waterford Writers Weekend runs from October 22nd to 25th with 13 online and live-audience events, many of those on offer free of charge. Highlights include an interview with Sara Baume who will talk about her first non-fiction title - an exploration of productivity and what it means to be an artist. Brian Conaghan will chat about his latest YA title The M Word, a novel about grief and healing. An interview with award-winning writer Doireann Ní Ghríofa will see her discuss her stunning debut prose work, A Ghost in the Throat. Colm Keegan will premiere This is Waterford, a vibrant and contemporary literary work.

There will be a performance with Felicia Olusanya, Leke Ogunde and Samuel Yakura. In a free online event Ambassador of Ireland to the US Dan Mulhall will host a Desert Island poetry reading. Two of Ireland’s finest playwrights and directors, Jim Nolan and Jimmy Murphy, will chat writing, process and legacy.Poet Mark Roper will host a beginners poetry workshop plus lots more.

For event details and tickets see www.Imagineartsfestival.com

*

The Trollope Society has launched a campaign this month to get readers to discover and rediscover the works of Anthony Trollope.

Nine notable Trollopians including Julian Fellowes, Joanna Trollope and Jeffrey Archer have each championed one book and the idea is that readers then vote for their favourite. The Trollope Society will then host a global online read of the winning novel.

Trollope lived in Ireland for 16 years and indeed wrote five Irish novels, including his first novel, The Macdermots of Ballycloran. He was assigned to Ireland by the Post Office, and regarded it as the start of his success saying "From the day I set foot in Ireland, all these evils went away from me." For details, visit here.

*

Four-time nominated Sarah Hall has won the fifteenth BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University (NSSA) for the second time with ‘The Grotesques’, a ‘timeless and unsettling story’ set against a backdrop of privilege and inequality in a university town. Exploring themes of powerlessness and privilege, dysfunctional mother-daughter relationships, covert control, identity and scapegoating, the judges praised Hall for her ‘extraordinary’, ‘layered’ and ‘masterful’ writing and cited her second time win as ‘recognition of her standing as the country’s foremost writer of short stories’.

Alsol shortlisted were Jan Carson, Caleb Azumah Nelson; Eley Williams; and Jack Houston.