Michael Magee Wins 2023 McGahern Prize

Michael Magee has been fascinated with storytelling since he was a boy watching The Wizard of Oz, and it has remained a pursuit for him ever since. His first exposure to the magic of narrative was so vivid that it felt like an awake dream, and it has consequently spurred on his creativity. He fondly remembers his pre-school days, pounding away on a vintage typewriter and marvelling at how it conjures words from nothing. This incessant urge to create, along with a quest to connect and explore himself, has fueled his writing endeavours and eventually led to the creation of his remarkable novel, “Close to Home”.

The novel has been conferred with the prestigious John McGahern Prize in 2023 for the debut book of Irish fiction. The John McGahern Prize, now in its fifth consecutive year, was initiated by the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Irish Studies, as a tribute to John McGahern, one of Ireland’s finest prose writers.

Colm Tóibín, the one who selected Magee’s book from a notable list including Noel O’Regan’s “Though the Bodies Fall” and Colin Walsh’s “Kala”, lauds “Close to Home” for its exceptional narrative dynamism and masterfully crafted sentences and dialogues. According to Tóibín, the novel captures the struggles of its young protagonist living in a violence-plagued society, maimed by its present and past. However, it also beautifully delineates the aspects of love and camaraderie, demonstrating great sensitivity and discretion.

Tóibín praises both its brutally intense and brilliantly humorous passages, recognising its ability to authentically depict the city of Belfast with skilful use of local idiom, tone and undertone. “Close to Home” introduces readers to a memorable young character, in a struggle between innocence and experience, as envisioned by a highly skilled writer.

The Liverpool Literary Festival, which takes place annually on the first weekend of October, is set to present an award to Magee, an individual who not only studied in the city, but also parallels the main character of his novel, Sean. However, it was in Belfast, his hometown, where Magee acquired the inspiration needed to generate successful works of fiction.

During his time at De La Salle secondary school in Andersonstown, Magee was one of a mere trio of male students studying A Level English Literature. He recollects a significant instance when his teacher distributed Ernest Hemingway’s complete short narratives among them. Magee’s initial assignment, “Soldier’s Home”, profoundly impacted the course of his life.

Prior to this exposure, Magee had mostly read fantasy and science fiction, typical of many adolescents, yet something unique surfaced in Hemingway’s prose. It was a brief yet eloquent narrative that left Magee awestruck at how so much could be conveyed so succinctly. Subsequent to his encounter with this work, he redirected from indulging in escapist literature to a deep desire in understanding the structures that guide the formation of such influential prose.

Comparable to Hemingway’s character Krebs from “Soldier’s Home”, Magee’s character, Sean, feels displaced in a world he no longer recognises as home. His intellectual and spiritual cravings, left unsatisfied after his academic pursuits in Liverpool, are not quenched by returning to his roots in Belfast either. In this city he grapples with fully connecting to his blue-collar childhood acquaintances, much like Hemingway’s Krebs, who returns from the Great War but finds himself alienated.

These experiences and insights steered Magee towards pursuing a PhD in creative writing at Queen’s University Belfast, the nurturing grounds of another McGahern Prize winner, Louise Kennedy. In 2016, inclined by Karl Ove Knausgård’s work, Magee embarked on a process of experimenting with a blend of memoir and fiction genres.

Several initial attempts at writing a novel came to nought for Michael Magee; struggling to find his worldview and capture it in words. He credits the turning point to the valuable guidance of his friend and previous editor at the Stinging Fly, Thomas Morris who suggested he write a letter to someone he admired. This advice laid the groundwork for what would become his novel – Close to Home.

The first two sentences that flowed from Magee’s pen went onto form the opening lines of the book: “There was nothing to it. I swung and hit him and he dropped.” Further 60,000 words sprang forth shortly after and the makings of a book began to take shape. Even so, Magee found himself battling self-doubt, crafting his sentences as though they would never grace a reader’s eyes. Fortunately, his writing has not only seen daylight but has broken through as a remarkable novel for all to savour.

“It’s a truly delightful and humbling experience to extend our involvement with fresh Irish literature and the McGahern moniker,” says Prof Pete Shirlow, leader of the Institute of Irish Studies. “Without a doubt, Michael Magee symbolises a potent narrative voice at the dawn of what promises to be an exceptional writing career.”

The feedback couldn’t be more unanimous, with the book earning extraordinary reviews. Magee finds himself a celebrated author, with accolades including the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, and the Nero Book Awards’ debut fiction category.

Michael Magee is set to receive his prize of £5,000 and will present a reading from his work at the Liverpool Literary Festival on October 5th. The Institute of Irish Studies website is now inviting entries for the 2024 McGahern Prize.

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