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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Media Decoder: Lawrence Steps Down as Norton's Editor In Chief

The longtime editor said that the coming of ebooks played a role in his decision. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Electronic gift cards to launch in Ireland this week

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 27/06/2011 - 15:45 National Book Tokens will launch the Euro Gift Card in the Republic of Ireland for the first time this Friday. The Euro Gift Card is being introduced by NBT after “a great deal of interest” in the system following its launch... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Grahame Baker-Smith takes CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Thu, 23/06/2011 - 11:15 Grahame Baker-Smith has won this year's CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for his novel FArTHER (Templar). In his acceptance speech today he attributed his award to "a complete change of style" after 15 years in the field, and in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Price to attempt book signing world record

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 15/06/2011 - 14:03 Random House author Katie Price is to attempt to break the Guinness World Records title for the largest book signing by a single author. Price's attempt will take place at the O2 Academy, Leeds, at 11 a.m. on 27th July,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Edinburgh indie proposes World Book Night alternative

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 31/05/2011 - 16:21 An Edinburgh independent has proposed an alternative to World Book Night next year, where readers buy tickets to attend book swap events across the country. Vanessa Robertson, co-owner of the Edinburgh Bookshop, said she has... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Secret World of Apps

Last week, Apple went to Washington, D.C., to answer questions from U.S. lawmakers about consumer privacy in the mobile marketplace. The visit was triggered by the discovery that Apple’s iPads and iPhones tracked and kept users’ locations for up to a year, creating a step-by-step picture of... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Conde Nast’s New Address Will Be 1 World Trade Center

A decade after New York City sustained one of the largest terrorist attacks in recent American history on September 11, 2001, Conde Nast has decided to move its head quarters, 18 magazine titles and 5,000 employees to 1 World Trade Center. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Day titles to revert to single books

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Tue, 17/05/2011 - 09:05 Jacqueline Wilson and Roald Dahl are among the high-profile authors selected for the 2012 £1 World Book Day books, which will revert to the single-book format for the first time in four years. The teen WBD titles will also go... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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America 'exploring' World Book Night launch

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 11/05/2011 - 15:41 America wants to hold its own World Book Night following in the footsteps of the UK. The American Booksellers Association said it is "exploring" the possibility of replicating "a version" of the event, which saw 20,000 people... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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S&S acquires Wogan's Ireland

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 09/05/2011 - 11:48 Simon & Schuster has bought Wogan's Ireland, an illustrated book inspired by broadcaster's Terry Wogan's recent BBC television series about his homeland. Francine Lawrence, editorial director at S&S Illustrated,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Genre authors attack "sneering" World Book Night coverage

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 18/04/2011 - 09:19 Authors including Iain M Banks and Michael Moorcock have written to the BBC's director general Mark Thompson, attacking the treatment of genre fiction in its recent World Book Night coverage. In total 85 authors, across the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin acquires "riveting" Northern Ireland murder title

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 25/03/2011 - 08:33 Penguin has bought what promises to be a "riveting" account of one of the biggest murder cases in Northern Ireland, featuring infidelity, laughing gas and a confession 20 years after the event. Penguin Ireland m.d.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Day books top charts but sales are down on last year

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Tue, 15/03/2011 - 15:56 Sales of the six £1 World Book Day books fell 36% week-on-week, to 159,000 copies sold—a figure down 9% on the comparative week last year—but they nonetheless continue to dominate the sharp end of this week’s Official UK Top... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales of World Book Night titles 'double'

Written By: Lisa Campbell and Philip Stone Publication Date: Fri, 11/03/2011 - 16:27 Sales of the selected 25 World Book Night titles soared by over 100% at W H Smith, amid a wider trade sales boost, following television coverage, events and book giveaways to mark its inaugural year. On 5th... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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£1 World Book Day books storm to the top of the charts

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Tue, 08/03/2011 - 16:01 The latest crop of £1 World Book Day books, led by Cope & Davies' Spy Dog/The Great Pet Shop Panic (Puffin/S&S) take positions one-through-six in this week's Official UK Top 50, with sales totalling 247,235 copies—a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Night books defy the critics as sales grow

Written By: Philip Stone and Felicity Wood Publication Date: Fri, 04/03/2011 - 09:43 The majority of the books to be handed out tomorrow (5th March) as part of World Book Night have already received a sales boost in 2011. The figures will be a welcome fillip for the organisers, with founder... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A World with Fewer Borders

As the bookstore chains grew in the 1980s and ‘90s, the number of independent booksellers fell dramatically, but those that survived expect little pop from the impending closing of 200 Borders stores as part of the retailer's bankruptcy reorganization. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Retailers finalise World Book Night plans

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 24/02/2011 - 09:42 Final preparations are underway for a medley of events planned to celebrate World Book Night, with independent and national retailers planning to host author readings, quizzes and book swaps. On 5th March, 20,000 participants... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trade gears up for World Book Day

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Tue, 22/02/2011 - 15:42 read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Graham appointed Aurum m.d.

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 14/02/2011 - 15:26 David Graham has been appointed managing director of Aurum and its UK trade publishing division, also titled Aurum. Former Granta staff Alex Clark and Rosalind Porter are also to set up a new literary imprint at the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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