Sebastian Barry: ‘When you get past 60, you do feel a licence to write fearlessly’

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 ]

Other news stories related to: "Sebastian Barry: ‘When you get past 60, you do feel a licence to write fearlessly’"


The week's bestselling books, March 31

The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, March 31, 2024, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-03-27 13:00:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The week's bestselling books, March 24

The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, March 24, 2024, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-03-20 13:00:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this


New Historical Fiction Books

This trio of new novels shows real people in their natural habitats, drawn with writerly flair. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-03-19 15:22:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Riot’s Deals of the Day for March 17, 2024

A bakery and sports bar enemies-to-lovers romance, a witty take on werewolves, teen paperback novels of the '80s and '90s, and more of today's best book deals. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-03-17 10:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The week's bestselling books, March 17

The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, March 17, 2024, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-03-13 13:00:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The week's bestselling books, March 10

The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, March 10, 2024, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-03-06 14:00:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The week's bestselling books, March 3

The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, March 3, 2024, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-02-28 14:00:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Whodunits Abroad: 8 Historical Mysteries Set Outside the U.S.

You get historical fiction and mystery plus some armchair travel — what's not to like? Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-02-27 11:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The week's bestselling books, Feb. 25

The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-02-21 14:00:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The week's bestselling books, Feb. 18

The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-02-14 14:00:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this


New Historical Fiction Books

From England and France to the deepest Arctic and northern China, these stories will transport you. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-02-11 10:00:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Sebastian Barry: ‘When you get past 60, you do feel a licence to write fearlessly’

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... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-02-10 18:00:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Promised Land is a true Mads Mikkelsen marvel — if you have a strong stomach

The Promised Land, which releases in Toronto and Vancouver on Feb. 9, is an impressively directed piece of historical fiction — even if it isn't a masterpiece. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2024-02-09 09:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The week's bestselling books, Feb. 11

The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-02-07 14:00:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Riot’s Deals of the Day for February 4, 2024

Black nature writing, burnt cake, how paperback books played a role in World War II, and more of today's best book deals. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-02-04 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Matthew Salesses! V (Eve Ensler!) Doomsday cults! 26 books out in paperback this February.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of the new books coming out each month. And, as a result, it’s easy to miss or put off getting books that came out in hardcover, even the ones that garnered all the buzz. But fear not: the paperback reprints of February (also, how is it already February […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-02-02 09:12:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The week's bestselling books, Feb. 4

The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-01-31 14:00:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The UK’s New Nero Book Awards Name Their First Category Winners

The successor to the Costa Book Awards, the new Nero Book Awards announce several winners ahead of the Nero Gold Prize book of the year. The post The UK’s New Nero Book Awards Name Their First Category Winners appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-01-30 22:52:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Jonathan Escoffery: ‘I was trying to write novels aged nine’

The If I Survive You author on the suspense of the Booker ceremony, Americans’ warped view of the Caribbean, and writing his next novel on the roadJonathan Escoffery, 43, was born in Texas and lives in Oakland, California. His debut, If I Survive You, about a second-generation Jamaican in Miami,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-01-27 18:00:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Marc Jaffe, Publisher of Paperback Hits, Is Dead at 102

He oversaw a boom in the format beginning in the 1960s, turning out best-sellers like “Jaws,” “The Exorcist” and “The Catcher in the Rye.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-01-26 20:43:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this