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 ]
Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other, which recently won the Booker Prize, is out now from Grove Atlantic. We asked her about writers’ block, her favorite books, and more. * Who do you most wish would read your book? Oprah. I don’t know if her book club has ever featured a novel or book... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-11-05 09:49:45 UTC ]
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Looking for your next favorite book? Check out these new historical fiction books, full of beautiful prose, dynamic characters, and captivating settings. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-10-25 10:39:52 UTC ]
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Historical fiction writer Ben Kane has signed a three-book deal with Orion Fiction for a new series of novels exploring Richard the Lionheart. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-22 16:48:55 UTC ]
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Booksellers from WH Smith, Waterstones, Sam Read Books, Libreria and West End Lane Books are to join judging panels for The Costa Book Awards 2019. The booksellers will select shortlists and decide the winners across five categories, in a year which sees the highest number of submissions to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-17 00:41:12 UTC ]
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The novel, longlisted for the Booker Prize, is a brilliantly constructed jigsaw puzzle of meaning. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-15 20:26:04 UTC ]
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Longlisted for this year’s Booker Prize, this brainy, batty story is an unholy amalgamation of scholarship and comedy. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-15 12:56:00 UTC ]
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Canadian writer Margaret Atwood and British author Bernardine Evaristo split the Booker Prize on Monday, after the judging panel ripped up the rule book and refused to name one winner for the prestigious fiction trophy. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2019-10-14 20:58:08 UTC ]
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It's the height of literary award season and WD senior editor Amy Jones considers what prizes like The Booker Prize have to offer readers and writers. The post Benefits of The Booker Prize and Other Literary Awards for Writers (Besides the Money) by Amy Jones appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2019-10-14 19:33:33 UTC ]
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The Booker Prize has been jointly won by Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments (Chatto & Windus) and Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other (Hamish Hamilton). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-14 08:52:37 UTC ]
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Learn about times and places of yore and get captivated by its imagined characters with these compelling YA historical fiction stories. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-10-10 10:32:41 UTC ]
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Though she made her mark writing contemporary romance, Moyes proves just as adept at historical fiction. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-03 15:31:45 UTC ]
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Interviews Renee H. Shea Monique Truong / Photo © Haruka Sakaguchi Monique Truong, who came to the United States in 1975 as a refugee from Vietnam, began exploring untold and ignored histories in her first novel, The Book of Salt (2003), told through... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-09-17 13:54:26 UTC ]
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The Booker Prize has reassured readers the £50,000 literary award has “not yet been decided” – after a bookshop mistakenly branded copies of Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments with a “winner” sticker. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-17 10:52:14 UTC ]
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Think you don't like historical fiction? Try these books out and prove yourself wrong. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-09-14 10:33:10 UTC ]
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In “The Hollywood Book Club,” Steven Rea brings together photos of Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe and many more. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2019-09-12 13:58:29 UTC ]
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Literary agents are gatekeepers of the publishing industry. Find historical fiction literary agents open to submissions in this post. List will be updated regularly. The post Historical Fiction Literary Agents Open to Submissions by Robert Lee Brewer appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2019-09-11 12:59:53 UTC ]
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Lucy Ellmann’s novel is a 1,000-page single sentence, and it was just shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2019-09-11 12:30:00 UTC ]
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The Toronto International Film Festival opens this year with Once Were Brothers, a documentary based on Robbie Robertson's memoir directed by a 26-year-old Canadian filmmaker. The doc's opening spot signifies the rising caché of music... Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2019-09-05 08:00:00 UTC ]
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The Booker Prize’s "wide-ranging and diverse" shortlist has been met with a broadly positive response from the trade, though there is surprise from some that authors like Max Porter missed out on the final six. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-04 10:36:45 UTC ]
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Interviews Carolyne Larrington Audible’s new fiction podcast, Hag, launching August 29, features eight reimaginings of traditional British folktales by eight contemporary female writers, with folktales chosen from across the UK. The collection will be... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-08-30 14:21:50 UTC ]
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