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 ]
With the 'book of the year' winner to be announced on February 1, the Costa Book Awards will name its 2021 winner in 2022. The post The United Kingdom’s Costa Book Awards Name Five Shortlists appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-11-23 19:51:12 UTC ]
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The ’80s and ’90s were great time to be a manga fan. For your retro-reading pleasure, here are the best story arcs from manga’s golden age, including the Martial Arts Figure Skating Arc from Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-10-25 10:33:00 UTC ]
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The Tudor Dynasty lives on in these outstanding historical fiction novels, including The King’s Witch. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-10-22 10:33:00 UTC ]
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Historical fiction can remind us that these "unprecedented" times are anything but. Here's what they can teach us about our current crisis. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-10-13 10:38:00 UTC ]
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The Booker Prize will showcase its shortlisted authors with hybrid appearances at Coventry University and the Southbank Centre before the winner is announced at BBC Broadcasting House's Radio Theatre on the big night. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-07 15:34:41 UTC ]
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The author of The Fortune Men will now compete with five other novelists from South Africa, Sri Lanka and the US for the 2021 awardAlex Clark explores how the Booker shortlist tunes in to the worries of our ageJust one British author has made the shortlist for this year’s Booker prize: Nadifa... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-09-14 15:25:06 UTC ]
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With Harlem Shuffle, the Underground Railroad author moves from heavy historical fiction to a heist, but he’s still just doing his weird thing. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2021-09-12 09:40:00 UTC ]
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Novelist Jessie Burton and children's book author Smriti Halls are among the judges confirmed for the 2021 Costa Book Awards, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-31 23:06:55 UTC ]
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An author’s historical fiction novel connects the past with the present. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-31 04:00:00 UTC ]
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News and Events In this second episode of WLT Book Buzz, Laura Hernandez & Bunmi Ishola cover 42 books that connect with history. Find out what they read this summer and why these books should be on your shelf. Partition, World War II, the Tulsa Race... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2021-08-04 15:40:39 UTC ]
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The longlist for the Booker Prize has been announced, including four American authors. The prize is worth £50,000. A shortlist of six will be announced on September 14, and the winner on November 2. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-07-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Check out the latest pick from Reese's Book Club--a YA historical fiction set in the New South--and #ReadWithReese this summer. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-07-20 19:01:58 UTC ]
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Graeme Macrae Burnet was picked out by the literary spotlight when his second novel, His Bloody Project, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2016. Published by small indie Saraband, it tells of a brutal triple murder in the remote Scottish Highlands in 1869 via witness statements, a memoir... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-16 17:48:55 UTC ]
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Author and journalist Ann Rinaldi, best known for her painstakingly researched YA historical fiction featuring female protagonists, died on July 1 in Branchburg, N.J.; she was 86. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-07-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A K Blakemore has won the £10,000 Desmond Elliott Prize for her "stunning" historical fiction novel The Manningtree Witches (Granta Books). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-01 17:06:17 UTC ]
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Immerse yourself in history from highwaymen to Hollywood starlets with 25 of the best queer historical fiction books to get lost in. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-06-25 10:33:00 UTC ]
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Historical fiction was once considered a fusty backwater. Now the genre is having a renaissance, attracting first-rank novelists and racking up major prizes. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-06-13 09:00:02 UTC ]
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'Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch,' historical fiction about Kepler's mother, is Galchen's first novel since 2008's 'Atmospheric Disturbances.' Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-06-03 14:00:33 UTC ]
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New novels — by turns salty, sweeping and sweet — will transport you to 1930s Italy, 19th-century England and San Francisco a hundred years ago. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-05-27 13:55:12 UTC ]
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The arresting tale of a “lady pilot” in the mid-20th century is interwoven with the story of a modern-day Hollywood actress. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-03 09:40:22 UTC ]
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