The Irish novelist and playwright on the positives of ageing, his struggles with depression and a golden age of Irish writingSebastian Barry, 68, is the author of 11 novels and 15 plays. Five of his books have been long- or shortlisted for the Booker prize, and his novels have won numerous awards, including the Costa book of the year (twice) and the Walter Scott prize for historical fiction. He was laureate for Irish fiction from 2018 to 2021. His latest novel, Old God’s Time, is about a retired policeman, Tom Kettle, and his struggles with the legacy of institutional child abuse in Ireland. It has been described as “a tour de force of transcendent power and complexity”. Barry was born in Dublin and lives in a converted rectory in the mountains of County Wicklow, Ireland.Was it good to be back in Ireland with Old God’s Time? Did it feel like coming home?I was in dread of coming home. I had spent two books [Days Without End and A Thousand Moons] in America, quite joyously… a kind of vast holiday. So, yes, it was coming home, but I was a bit… It’s not that I’ve been avoiding the whole strange cosmos of what we have done to children in this country, but I was certainly unable to write this book… until I did. When you get past 60, you do feel a sort of licence finally to write fearlessly about something that essentially is full of fear.Old God’s Time by Sebastian Barry is published in paperback by Faber (£9.99). To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy at... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2024-02-10 18:00:48 UTC ]
The Booker Prize–winning author will publish a collection of stories and novellas, The Eleventh Hour, with Random House on November 4. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, March 30, 2025, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-03-26 13:00:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Read these new trans historical fiction books in support of the 2025 Trans Rights Readathon. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-03-26 11:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
What two better editors to discuss the Golden Age of magazine publishing than Terry McDonell and Graydon Carter? As McDonell writes in Alta, the two first met in 1985 when they were trying to start their own magazines and trying to secure funding from Carl Navarre, owner of Atlantic Monthly... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-25 08:59:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, March 23, 2025, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-03-19 13:00:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The goal of censorship is to control what people think by controlling what they can read and learn. Book bans target and affect the most at-risk members of society. That's not a coincidence, either. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-03-19 11:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, March 16, 2025, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-03-12 13:00:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Historical fiction’s popularity has remained solid since the 19th century, when Romanticism inspired writers to look to the past. Exploring the human ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-03-12 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, March 9, 2025, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-03-05 14:00:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Somehow, it’s March already. I know; I’m baffled, too. But even if the year feels like it’s already slipping by ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-03-05 14:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
It is a HUGE day for new YA book releases. Dive into this wide-ranging array of new YA hardcover and paperback titles out this week. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-03-05 12:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, March 2, 2025, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-02-26 14:00:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Andrea Barrett on why writing fresh historical fiction means more than cosplaying the past. | Lit Hub Craft Bookstore owner Brad Johnson reflects on the total destruction, by fire, of East Bay Booksellers (and its rebirth!). | Lit Hub Bookstores Michael Hiltzik on how California made Ronald... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-02-26 11:30:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this
While it may not quite be a death knell, Readerlink’s decision to end distribution for the format is likely to push publishers to dramatically cut back the number of mass market reprints they publish. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-02-19 14:00:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this
I know some people like to march to the beat of their own drum and aren’t really interested in what ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-02-18 13:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this