Graham Norton: ‘In a world going to hell in a handcart, Ireland is a wonderful beacon’

The chatshow host’s new novel centres on Irish lives dominated by shame and repression. Yet, after ‘decades of darkness’, the country’s legalisation of abortion and gay marriage have made him hopefulGraham Norton’s second novel, A Keeper, had not gone to press before this interview, so his publisher ran off an A5 photocopy for me. After reading the first few pages, I thought they must have sent me the wrong book. Literary fiction this strong could not be the work of a TV star whose canon of previous works comprised one novel. Whoever wrote this clearly had to be an established author.When I tell Norton this, he does a little squirm beside me on the sofa. “Oh my God, that’s incredibly nice of you. I’m not very good at taking compliments, so let’s gloss over this bit, but I’ll just say thank you very much. Seriously, that’s really, really nice.”We’ve got to thank the church for what Ireland is now, because it is a reaction to all those decades of darknessPeople get stuck in their heads about the thing that’s wrong with their life – they forget to have a lovely time Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #gay marriage #publisher ran #literary fiction #tv star

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Why knocking down statues is a tradition around the world

Rethinking values — and monuments — is a hallmark of free societies, writes Alex von Tunzelmann. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-11-05 12:00:00 UTC ]
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H.G. Wells wanted to change the world. A new book explores the author’s outsize ambitions

Claire Tomalin’s ‘The Young H.G. Wells’ is a fascinating look at the prolific writer’s rocky beginnings and complicated personal life. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-11-03 12:00:00 UTC ]
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What do we owe animals? New books reevaluate our relationship to the natural world.

A spate of new books wrestle with complex questions about what humans seek from nature and what we should give back. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-11-01 10:00:00 UTC ]
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The Most Haunted Bookstores and Libraries Around the World

It turns out ghosts like their books just as much as the living! Learn all about the most haunted bookstores and libraries in the US and abroad... if you dare. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-10-29 10:36:00 UTC ]
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Brian Cox torches Johnny Depp, Ed Norton, Michael Caine and more in new book

'Succession' star Brian Cox rips several beloved Hollywood stars in his memoir 'Putting the Rabbit in the Hat,' but also praises a few along the way. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-10-28 22:07:21 UTC ]
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“Anybody’s life could be a wonderful piece of art.” Read Maxine Hong Kingston’s best writing advice.

On this day in 1940, Maxine Hong Kingston was born in Stockton, CA. Kingston, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, took the literary world by storm with her seminal work The Woman Warrior (1976), which blends autobiography and mythology. The Woman Warrior, the winner of the 1976 National Book... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-10-27 16:42:53 UTC ]
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The IPA’s Al Qasimi at Frankfurt: A Voice in the World’s Development Dialogue

The International Publishers Association's officers were engaged at Frankfurt Book Fair, Bodour Al Qasimi leading activities and messaging. The post The IPA’s Al Qasimi at Frankfurt: A Voice in the World’s Development Dialogue appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-10-26 15:41:40 UTC ]
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The Lesser-Known Children’s Books of Langston Hughes and Graham Greene

The New York Times takes a look at lesser-known children’s books written by literary titans such as Langston Hughes, Gertrude Stein, William Faulkner, and more. Though these writers did not stay long in this genre, their efforts were lauded, as in the case of James Thurber and Many Moons. “When... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2021-10-25 20:30:32 UTC ]
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‘Dune’ has long divided the science fiction world. The new film won’t change that.

Frank Herbert’s magnum opus: masterful or clumsy? Denis Villeneuve’s movie continues the debate. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-10-21 13:13:42 UTC ]
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In ‘The Swank Hotel,’ a family falls apart, and so does the world

Lucy Corin’s discursive family drama is set against the backdrop of the 2008 financial crisis. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-10-19 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Hyo-eun wins at World Illustration Awards

Korean author Kim Hyo-eun has won the Professional Children’s Publishing category of the World Illustration Awards 2021, with her book I Am the Subway, translated by Deborah Smith and published in the UK by Scribble. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-13 05:13:06 UTC ]
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The World (Is a Book) According to Peter LaSalle, by Ellie Simon

Book Reviews Photo by andy lapham / Flickr Whether he is recounting his nighttime drive with a late colleague and poet around the beltway of the pulsing and vibrant São Paulo—a city so full of people and culture that it seems to have its own... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2021-10-11 20:56:08 UTC ]
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The power of rational thinking in a world that seems unreasonable

Steven Pinker offers hope that rationality can return to personal and civic life. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-10-08 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Should 007 be played by a woman? Why not? Seven books by women in the spy world show us how it’s done.

Women in espionage take center stage in “Red Widow,” “The Targeter,” “Life Undercover” and more. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-10-06 14:00:00 UTC ]
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A World to Be Repaired: A Conversation with Dimitris Lyacos, by Toti O’Brien

Interviews Dimitris Lyacos with Marsias / Photo by Walter Melcher In 2019 I interviewed Dimitris Lyacos on the occasion of the US tour/launch of his trilogy, Poena Damni, which had been recently released in the English complete edition. When we... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2021-10-04 20:23:19 UTC ]
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HarperCollins removes story from David Walliams’ book The World’s Worst Children

After criticism of the ‘casual racism’ of a story about a Chinese boy, the publisher has taken it out of the next print run of the bestselling anthology David Walliams’ story about a Chinese boy called Brian Wong, which was criticised by campaigners for its “casual racism”, is set to be removed... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-10-04 12:03:02 UTC ]
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Hawkins, Norton and Wheatle to pen Quick Reads 2022 titles

Novelists Paula Hawkins, Graham Norton and Alex Wheatle are among the authors writing short, accessible titles for the Quick Reads literacy programme for 2022. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-26 23:05:50 UTC ]
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Holly Smale | 'Change happens one story at a time, reminding the world what autism is from the inside'

Holly Smale, bestselling author of the Geek Girl series, discusses how autistic characters, and authors, should no longer be seen as ‘niche’ Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-23 18:27:19 UTC ]
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The post-apocalyptic world of Joy Williams’s ‘Harrow’ reads like a cautionary tale

Williams’s urgent novel takes place on the shore of a rotting lake, where a group of eco-warriors has gathered. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-09-23 13:46:54 UTC ]
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Morpurgo, Jackson and Lucas among £1 World Book Day titles

Michael Morpurgo, Sharna Jackson and Matt Lucas are among the authors on the list of World Book Day's £1 books for 2022.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-23 02:12:21 UTC ]
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