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 ]
Kelly Kerney, who spent a decade writing the historical novel "Hard Red Spring," talks about the impossible task of historical fiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Titles by William Boyd and Patrick Gale have been named on the 2016 Walter Scott Prize shortlist in an “exceptional year” for historical fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sally Kim closes her first deal as Putnam’s editorial director, Booker Prize–nominee Paul Kingsnorth closes a double at Graywolf, Norman Ollestad sells his new novel to Counterpoint, and more in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors including Kate Atkinson, William Boyd and Robert Harris are battling it out to win the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BARCELONA, Spain—Media executives from television, online and magazine news organizations are optimistic that a mostly mobile audience will present new opportunities for reporting and engagement, even while revenue challenges remain. Speaking on a Mobile World Congress panel Thursday,... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2016-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales of Frances Hardinge’s YA novel The Lie Tree (Macmillan Children’s Books) have increased 353% in volume terms since winning the Costa Book of the Year, according to Nielsen BookScan data. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Costa Book of the Year is announced on January 26th. Nick Higham spoke to each of the shortlisted authors, including Andrea Wulf, winner of the biography prize. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2016-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Beyond Belief, a new book by Charles Saatchi, brings together the most shocking advertising campaigns of the last century. From racism and sexism to dodgy health claims, nothing was out of bounds for the real-life Mad MenBeyond Belief: Racist, Sexist, Rude, Crude and Dishonest, The Golden Age of... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trade journal Quill and Quire conducted a round-table discussion to ask: “Are we in a golden age of Canadian picture books?” The post Is This the “Golden Age” for Canadian Picture Books? appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A pair of YouTube vloggers have the #4 book in the country, with ‘The Amazing Book Is Not on Fire.’ Plus Brandon Stanton tells more Humans of New York stories, Nobel and Booker Prize–winning authors get a sales boost, and much more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Antonia Hodgson and MJ Carter are among the authors shortlisted for The 2015 Historical Writers’ Association's (HWA) Debut Crown Award for historical fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At HarperCollins UK's annual summer party for its authors, UK CEO Charlie Redmayne could not have sounded more positive about the firm's direction in 2015. The post HarperCollins UK CEO says “Publishing Entering a Golden Age” appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Contrary to Sam Leith’s complaints last week, commercial publishers continue to take risks, and put out great and original workIn his article last week, Sam Leith deplored the state of mainstream trade publishing, saying it was “getting dumber by the day”, in contrast to the university presses... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When it comes to high-calibre non-fiction, risk-averse trade publishing houses are producing too many copycat ‘smart thinking’ books that promise more than they deliver. But praise should be given to the university pressesAmid the ambient wails of doom about the publishing industry, I’d like to... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Spurling has won the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction for his novel set in imperial China, The Ten Thousand Things (Duckworth), a book which is said to have been rejected 44 times by publishers. Spurling beat off competition from Martin Amis, Helen Dunmore, Hermione... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A novel set in imperial China wins the £25,000 Water Scott Prize for Historical Fiction at the Borders Book Festival. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2015-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Small press And Other Stories will produce no books by men in 2018 in answer to Kamila Shamsie’s call for direct action to beat gender bias in publishingSmall press And Other Stories has answered author Kamila Shamsie’s provocative call for a year of publishing women to redress “gender bias” in... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week: Werner Herzog walks on ice, Oliver Sacks's new memoir, and the golden age of murder. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher and writer with an instinctive eye for a literary hit, he was key to the success of the Booker prizeIf asked in a quiz for the link between Julie Andrews and Alan Clark, Julian Fellowes and Edna O’Brien, you could give only one correct answer: Ion Trewin, publisher. Trewin, who has... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With "Downton Abbey" reviving interest in the period between the two world wars, the publishing arm of the British Library has been releasing new editions of forgotten classics published in Britain’s golden age of mystery (considered to span most of the 1920s and ’30s) since 2012. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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