On the forthcoming Saturday, renowned author Elizabeth Strout will discuss her newest novel, Tell Me Everything, with interviewer Sarah Gilmartin. In addition, a question and answer session with Martina Devlin, in relation to her new novel Charlotte, will take place. A litany of reviews from reputable critics will also be presented. These include Michael Cronin’s thoughts on Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo, Patsy McGarry’s review of Diarmaid MacCulloch’s Lower than the Angels: a History of Sex and Christianity and Declan Ryan’s round-up of the freshest poetry. Other contributions will come from Neil Hegarty, Adrienne Murphy, Pippa Conlon, Henrietta McKervey, Afric McGlinchey, John Walshe, Nicholas Allen and Eoghan Smith.
Patricia Forde, the current Laureate na nÓg, emphasizes that all children, whether they descend from Fionn Mac Cumhaill or are new to our lands, should be able to see representations of themselves in literature. Ensuring this is a reality, Forde will be putting forward Children’s Books Ireland’s latest guide to recommended reads during a Culture Night event.
Dubray Books, located on Grafton Street, will host the unveiling of Recommended Irish Reads 2024 at 5pm on the 20th of September, to which all families are warmly invited. The event, free of charge, will include book readings and signings by accomplished children’s authors, including Sadhbh Rosenstock, Chris Haughton, Sinéad Moriarty, and Alan Nolan. Additionally, a Book Clinic will be held, providing seasoned Book Doctors to help children select their next book adventure.
The reading guide has been contemporarily curated by Children’s Books Ireland and boasts a collection of 200 book recommendations for young readers, covering all ages from infancy through to 18. These diverse recommendations encompass writings from authors and illustrators living or originating from Ireland. The works span both the Irish and English language, making it a valuable resource not only for young readers but parents, educators, librarians and booksellers alike, according to Forde.
Why is it vital that children’s books feature authors and artists who call Ireland their home? It’s because young ones must see narratives that mirror their background and environment, portrayed by creators who empathise with their experiences. It’s important to have role models who can help children shape pathways to their ambitions. Such representation is visible in sports, theatre and movies, and it’s essential to find the same in children’s literature.
Zainab Boladale, a presenter and reporter, unveiled her first novel at the Culture Night event. Titled ‘Braids Take a Day’, it delves into the intricacies of heritage and identity in a Western Ireland town. Boladale expressed her delight in joining the likes of Paul Delaney, Shane Hegarty, and Erika McGann to give life to stories, ignite a new passion for reading and foster appreciation for Irish children’s books amongst younger audiences and their parents.
The Children’s Books Ireland website provides access to the ‘Recommended Irish Reads 2024’ guide, freely downloadable and widely disseminated across the country with 25,000 copies. The guide is accessible at no cost via local libraries and cooperating bookstores.
On another note, ‘Sceptre’ experts anticipate publishing Wendy Erskine’s inaugural novel, ‘The Benefactors’, in the coming June. The profoundly emotive and remarkably astute novel follows the narratives of Frankie, Miriam, and Bronagh, all mothers to teenage boys in modern Northern Ireland. The story unfolds as they unite to defend their sons accused of sexually violating Misty Johnston, a less fortunate girl from a lower social standing.
Erskine has received high praise for her storytelling capabilities, particularly demonstrated in her short story collections ‘Sweet Home’ and ‘Dance Move’. Ansa Khan Khattak, the publisher at Picador, praises Erskine as one of the most outstanding contemporary writers. She noted her excitement and honour at the opportunity to publish ‘The Benefactors’.
Expressing his joy, Erskine revealed that Ansa was the first individual in the British publishing industry to understand and appreciate his unique literary leaning. He considered it an immense privilege to be working with such an efficient editor and remarkable person from Sceptre, an experience that he was thoroughly enjoying.
The success of the internationally acclaimed Boys Don’t Cry has paved the way for Faber to publish Fíona Scarlett’s May All Your Skies Be Blue next February. This novel is a heartfelt narrative of love, pain, remorse, and the lasting impressions that people can leave on one’s life.
Set against the backdrop of Dublin’s warm 1991 summertime, the book captures the life of Dean and Shauna. Dean is characterised as sun-bronzed and sticky from the summer popsicles, standing at the heart of The Green to sneak a peek at the new salon and its proprietor’s child. Hiding his uneasiness behind his raven hair, Dean dreads his homecoming.
On the other hand, Shauna is represented as a haunted girl hiding behind her mother. Their new salon is their beacon of hope. With the scent of her mother’s perfume from the Body Shop still clinging to her jumper, being in that moment is paramount for Shauna. As their friendship blossoms, circumstances force them apart, despite their growing affection and schoolyard squabbles.
Scarlett expressed her elation at finally being able to share May All Your Skies Be Blue, a story that holds a special place in her heart, with her readers. She expressed her deep gratitude towards Faber and the extraordinary Louisa Joyner for another opportunity to get published.
In other news, New Island has agreed on a deal for the first two novels of Seán Farrell. His debut novel, Frogs for Watchdogs, describes the life of a wild child with a wildly active imagination who goes to extreme lengths to shelter his family from their unstable rural existence. Notable figures like Louise Kennedy labelled it as a ‘remarkable novel’, Una Mannion described it as being ‘deeply moving’, and Donal Ryan lavished praised on it, calling it a ‘captivating piece of literature’.
Expert literary editor, Farrell, who has previously collaborated with acclaimed writers such as Nuala O’Connor, Kevin Curran, Estelle Birdy, and Adrian Duncan, is now stepping into his own limelight with a powerful debut novel. The book has been praised by Booker Prize winner, John Banville, as an ‘extraordinary imaginative accomplishment with a captivating narrative voice’. Farrell’s second novel, titled The Best Boy in the World, focuses on a modern, European family based in London, as they navigate through a turbulent dissolution due to conflicting ideas of masculinity between two half-brothers.
Hachette Books Ireland has announced its plans to publish a memoir by Sarah Corbett Lynch slated for release the following February. It provides a heart-wrenching narrative about the tragic murder of her father Jason Corbett, by his wife and Sarah’s stepmother, Molly Martens, and her own father, Tom Martens. The dreadful incident, which occurred in the family’s home in North Carolina in 2015, left Sarah and her brother, Jack, orphans. It marked the commencement of a nine-year-long judicial odyssey for the Corbett family as they strived to attain justice. However, Sarah’s opportunity to provide evidence against the Martens during a second trial was lost when their second-degree murder conviction was overturned last November, leading to their acceptance of a voluntary manslaughter plea deal. Sarah’s powerful memoir offers her a chance to voice her story, after previously being denied her chance to testify.
In other literary news, Paul Murray, Irish author and 2024 Rooney Writer Fellow will engage in a discussion about the experience of being a person living in the 21st-century. Joining him will be several experts including drama specialist Nick Johnson, solicitor Neville Cox, neuroscientist Shane O’Meara, and historian Jane Ohlmeyer. This free public event will take place in the Trinity Long Room Hub on September 26th. It’s a part of the week-long Trinity Arts and Humanities Research Festival, which runs from September 23rd to 27th.
The events include a presentation by legal authority David Kenny on how law perspectives can be altered by literature (From Henry James to Star Wars: Why Lawyers Should Read Literature), a dialogue about the significance of heavy metal guided by poetry specialist Philip Coleman (Going out with a (Head) Bang), a review of ‘The Critic’, a comic opera by Irish composer Charles Villiers Stanford in collaboration with Wexford Festival Opera, and Amy Prendergast’s seminar on the frequently disregarded literary skills of Irish women and girls from 1760 to 1810.
Additionally, Ireland’s Border Culture, a pioneering public project that has prepared a comprehensive free access digital record of literature, visual art, personal accounts, and film regarding Ireland’s “cultural borderscape” from 1921 till now, will be launched at 5pm on Monday, 23rd. These events are open to everyone at no charge. A complete event listings can be found on the hub’s website.
The Trinity Centre for Literary and Cultural Translation will facilitate a conversation with renowned Irish writer, Anne Enright, and her translators Kaja Gucio (Polish) and Iulia Gorzo (Romanian). The focus will be on the nuances of translating her work for foreign language readers. The discussion, chaired by French Professor Michael Cronin, will take place at 6.30pm on Thursday, September 26th, at the Naughton Institute, Trinity College Dublin. This is a hybrid event, with both physical and virtual tickets available for booking at the given link. Admission is complimentary and all are invited.
The Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation, committed to appreciating authors who use their writing to promote peace, social equality and international awareness, has honored former President Jimmy Carter with the Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award for 2024. The 2024 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Fiction has been awarded to Prophet Song by Paul Lynch, and Built from the Fire by Victor Luckerson won the 2024 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Nonfiction. The second place in the Fiction category went to The Postcard by Anne Berest, and Red Memory by Tania Branigan took the runner-up spot in the Nonfiction category.
The Festival of Italian and Irish Literature – Wor[l]ds of Change, will be launched on the 27th of September in Ireland at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura. Events catering to Children’s Literature will be revisited on the 29th at the same venue. The festival includes events at the Trinity Long Room Hub on the 28th, all of which are open to the public free of charge on a first come, first served basis.
The festival has been brought to life through the collaborative efforts of the Italian Institute of Culture in Dublin, Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann, and Trinity College Dublin. This is done in alliance with Literature Ireland, the Trinity Centre for Literary and Cultural Translation, the Trinity Long Room Hub and the Society for Italian Studies.
The festival, co-orchestrated by Catherine Dunne of Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann, Enrica Maria Ferrara of TCD, and Marco Gioacchini of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, will showcase the talents of more than 15 Italian and Irish poets, translators and writers.
In other news, Simon O’Connor is relinquishing his role as director/CEO of the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI), an establishment that venerates Ireland’s prolific literary heritage. University College Dublin (UCD) is working with the National Library of Ireland (NLI) to find a replacement. The museum has been in operation since September 2019, and has been commended with several national and international accolades for its innovative and comprehensive programming. The ideal replacement will need to have experience in the establishment and management of a successful artistic/cultural/public outreach centre or a comparable initiative, and have the ability to set a sustainable and effective financial model. The new Director/CEO will assume responsibility for the artistic, cultural, marketing, financial and operational management of the Museum. Applications close on the 4th of October.