This Saturday, The Irish Times honours prolific writer Dermot Healy on his 10th anniversary, courtesy of his colleague Kevin Barry. A discussion about her latest work, Our Island Stories, is shared by Prof Corinne Fowler with Mark Hennessy; the book explores the marks left by the British empire, colonisation, and slavery across rural Britain. Additionally, the edition offers a Q&A session with Myles Dungan, the author of Land Is All That Matters : The Struggle That Shaped Irish History, who also oversees the Hinterland Kells history festival this weekend.
Several book reviews are also featured, critiqued by a range of experts including Mark Hennessy’s thoughts on The Conservative Effect, edited by Anthony Seldon and Tom Edgerton, and Seamus Martin’s view of To Run the World: The Kremlin’s Cold War Bid for Global Power by Sergey Radchenko.
The paper reports that David Nash has been declared the winner of the Seamus Heaney First Collection Poetry Prize 2024. The award, hosted by the Atlantic Philanthropies and the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University Belfast, was given to Nash at the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast based on his work No Man’s Land, which was published by Dedalus Press. Nash, originally from Co. Cork, divides his time between Ireland and Chile. In 2020, he also released a Spanish language children’s book titled Bajo Mis Pies and two translations of works delving into Chile’s cultural history.
Nash expressed his profound gratitude and sentiment in receiving a poetry prize named after Seamus Heaney, the poet who inspired him greatly early on his life. His book was selected by the Legacy Project, Arts Council and Queen’s, a significant accomplishment he deems as personal and poetic.
The panel of judges, consisting of Prof Nick Laird, Jenny Browne and Stephen Sexton bestowed tremendous praise on Nash’s ‘No Man’s Land,’ describing it as a combination of return and revival. The judges pronounced that in the poems, Nash’s expertise is conspicuous, along with a twist of satire and an appreciation for formal brilliance. They commended the poems’ formidable objectives, which they consistently fulfilled.
The contenders who made it to the shortlist were Kandace Siobhan Walker with ‘Cowboy’, Declan Ryan’s ‘Crisis Actor’, ‘Before We Go Any Further’ by Tristram Fane Saunders, and ‘Swimming Between Islands’ by Charlotte Eichler.
An annual award given to a writer who has published their first complete collection in the prior year is The Seamus Heaney Centre Poetry Prize. The victorious author receives £5,000.
In a related development, as a part of the CzechLit – Literature Ireland pilot residency exchange, novelist Noel O’Regan is chosen as the first Literature Ireland writer-in-residence in Brno, Czech Republic.
Sinéad Mac Aodha, the director of Literature Ireland, expressed great enthusiasm regarding their collaboration with CzechLit for this exceptional writer exchange. She believes that long-term involvement with a different culture through residency programmes will substantially enrich the cultural experiences of the writers, as well as offer them an invaluable platform to interact with other writers and open up more opportunities for literary exchange.
O’Regan expressed his enthusiasm about being granted the time to devote to his writing and immerse himself in Brno’s vibrant cultural scene, which is an entirely new experience for him, along with becoming acquainted with the overarching Czech literary sphere. A resident of Co. Kerry, O’Regan has been acknowledged with various recognitions such as an Arts Council Next Generation Award. His premier book, ‘Though the Bodies Fall’, earned him a nomination for the Newcomer of the Year at the 2023 An Post Irish Book Awards, the 2024 James Tait Black Prize for Fiction, and the 2023 John McGahern Prize for debut Irish fiction.
The Czech-language version of ‘Though The Bodies Fall’, titled ‘Přitažlivost pádu’ and translated by Alice Hyrmanová McElveen, a literary translator based in Ireland, was circulated by Odeon with assistance from Literature Ireland.
O’Regan’s stay in Brno follows Marie Iljašenko’s stint in Cork. Iljašenko, a Czech poet, devoted her visit to several new pieces of writing and featured at the Cork International Poetry Festival.
Ferdia Lennon’s ‘Glorious Exploits’ is slated to be aired as BBC Radio 4’s nighttime book for the first fortnight of July.
Christodoulos Makris has teamed up with Poetry Ireland for two intertwined projects taking place over the summer and autumn. He will be conducting an in-person walkthrough of the exhibition ‘Is this a poem?’, which he originated and managed at the Museum of Literature Ireland till the 22nd of September, and will oversee a six-week virtual course titled ‘Poetry in the Contemporary World’.
Meanwhile, the annual Red Line Book Festival has unveiled an enticing proposition for comedians. Planned from the 14th to 20th of October, the festival will showcase a variety-packed agenda featuring panel workshops, theatre performances, activities for kids, and much more.
The role of Comedian Writer in Residence is now eligible for applications to support the festival’s operation, provided by South Dublin Libraries and Arts and valuing €5,000. The residency this year is set to boost local stand-up comedy writing. Enthusiastic comedians are persuaded to send in their applications by the 17th of July, with all relevant details available on their website redlinefestival.ie.
Arundhati Roy, the distinguished author, has been declared as the recipient of the PEN Pinter Prize 2024 by English PEN. She will be presented with the award at a ceremony held at the British Library on October 10th, where she will also be delivering a speech. Tickets to this event can be purchased currently.
A portion of the prize will also be allocated to a ‘Writer of Courage’ — an author who plays an active role in advocating for free speech, often in perilous conditions. The co-winner will be chosen by Arundhati Roy from a selected shortlist of authors supported by English PEN, and will be revealed during the event.
This year’s selection committee comprised of Ruth Borthwick, English PEN’s Chair; actor and activist Khalid Abdalla; as well as writer and musician Roger Robinson. Khalid Abdalla lauded Roy as a beacon of freedom and justice, who, through her literary works and personal life, has served as a guiding light through adverse times. He praised her exceptional writings, which have managed to keep us on course despite our world going through severe crises over the years.
Arundhati Roy expressed her happiness on receiving the PEN Pinter prize, sharing her longing for Harold Pinter and emphasizing the increasing necessity of individuals working to uphold the mission of writers like him in this rapidly changing world.
A selection of 20 budding authors has been confirmed by The John Hewitt Society, together with Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann, for their ‘Freedom to Write’ programme. Funding from the Shared Island Civic Society Fund, part of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin, has made this happen. The distinctive creative writing training consists of exploratory sessions as well as a week-long residential fellowship at the famed ‘John Hewitt International Summer School of Literature and the Arts Festival’ in Armagh.
This collaboration between the John Hewitt Society and Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann fills the society with much joy, remarked Dr Frank Ferguson, the society’s chair, and Catherine Dunne, chair of Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann. They acknowledged John Hewitt’s support of Irish PEN during his life and expressed satisfaction with perpetuating his legacy while simultaneously unveiling opportunities for up-and-coming writers.
Furthermore, the Gerard Manley Hopkins International Literary Festival is slated from July 19th to 25th at Newbridge College Theatre, Co Kildare. In addition to variety of talks on Hopkins by speakers from across the globe, festival attendees will be treated to a classical concert featuring renowned Swedish pianist Hans Palsson, as well as an art exhibit showcasing works by Desmond Morris, The Last Surrealist. An International Poetry Celebration will also see poets from 10 countries gathering on July 23rd at Naas Town Hall. Further details can be found at gerardmanleyhopkins.org, or by reaching out to 045 433613 or [email protected].
In related news, young Indian author, Sanjana Thakur, has bagged the distinction of being the overall recipient of a highly prestigious global literature award. The Mumbai-based writer outperformed 7,359 other global applicants to scoop up the £5,000 prize. The Commonwealth Foundation disclosed her triumph at a virtual event, where New Zealand’s previous Poet Laureate, Dr Selina Tusitala Marsh, introduced Sanjana and the four other regional victors, who gathered to discuss their work and share excerpts from their tales.
Drawing inspiration from a renowned Bollywood star, Aishwarya Rai, a fresh perspective on the conventional adoption narrative is presented. Avni, a young lady, is faced with a decision between potential mothers residing at a neighbourhood shelter. The first mother’s cleanliness is excessive for her liking, whereas the second, bearing a striking resemblance to Aishwarya Rai, is too glamorous. Despite living in a tight Mumbai flat with paper-thin walls and a minuscule balcony, Avni spends her time observing the laundry swirling in her washing machine, fantasising about alighting from white limousines and sampling different mothers from the shelter. Surely, the perfect one is among them…