“Novels are all about commitment” – Colin O’Sullivan’s profile in Books Ireland Magazine

Meet a writer who "has an understanding of the power of words, their placing, their specific meaning" and "reflects the current malaise and modern preoccupations", "sends language out on a gleeful spree, exuberant, defiant", and who is "one of the finest storytellers out there, a lyrical master of the written word".

Killarney Blues – Colin O’Sullivan

A wonderful review of the French edition of Colin O’Sullivan’s KILLARNEY BLUES!

Mille (et une) lectures de Maeve - Littérature irlandaise et autres trouvailles

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Traduit par Ludivine Bouton-Kelly

Bernard est jarvey dans la petite ville de Killarney, en Irlande, dans le comté du Kerry. Si vous connaissez Killarney, vous avez sûrement rencontré ces conducteurs de calèche qui promènent toute la journée les nombreux touristes. Pourtant Bernard est mis au ban de la bourgade : il est considéré un peu comme l’idiot du village. On découvre qu’il aurait peut-être une forme d’autisme Asperger (mais cela reste une supposition). Cet homme a une passion : le blues. Dès qu’il peut, il gratte sa guitare et chante (mais chez lui). Il est incollable sur tous les bluesmen américains. Une passion que lui a transmise son père, décédé. Bernard est amoureux depuis son adolescence de Marian, à qui il envoie régulièrement des cassettes de ses enregistrements.

Quand s’ouvre le récit, Bernard se fait rosser par des hommes, à la sortie d’un pub. On ne sait pas pourquoi. Des…

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Three Chords and the Truth – Review

The Venetian Vase

Hector Lassiter is one of the most compelling literary creations of recent years– a crime novelist who ‘writes what he lives and lives what he writes’. Lassiter was born January 1, 1900, and he witnesses some of the most tumultuous events of the twentieth century. Whether he finds himself at the heart of a murder mystery with the Lost Generation in 1920s Paris, or dodging the bombs and bullets with Ernest Hemingway during the Spanish Civil War, Lassiter is never far away from violence and intrigue. Three Chords and the Truth is the ninth and final novel in the Lassiter series, and, needless to say,  it was eagerly anticipated by the many fans of the series.

Craig McDonald is the author behind the author, the creator of Hector Lassiter and the writer of five more novels outside the Lassiter series. McDonald began his career as a journalist and still works in that…

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Video Extract of “The Painter’s Women” by Fionnuala Brennan

"To my mind, Goya is one of the most enigmatic and influential painters in the history of art. In the novel I wanted to explore behind the scenes, to discover something more of the man and of his work. What better perspective to obtain than that of the women who were closest to him in … Continue reading Video Extract of “The Painter’s Women” by Fionnuala Brennan

Author Hadley Colt discusses which famous film portrayals influenced her ‘Sherlock Holmes’ novel, “The Red-Handed League”.

From Hadley Colt's Blog: THE RED-HANDED LEAGUE & THE FACES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES The faces of Sherlock Holmes: So many, so varied. Some so bewildering. I’m specifically thinking about Mr. Holmes’ countless incarnations on film. When you look over the list of actors who’ve taken on the task of playing Sherlock—and ifyou’ve somehow evaded forming … Continue reading Author Hadley Colt discusses which famous film portrayals influenced her ‘Sherlock Holmes’ novel, “The Red-Handed League”.

Today: Jackie Mallon’s choice

There is a passage from classic literature so vividly macabre yet fantastically romantic that it seared itself into my girlhood brain. Nothing Hollywood’s big budget pyrotechnics or CGI wizardry has ever produced has come close to replicating it: the image of Miss Havisham catching fire in Great Expectations. Unlike some little girls I didn’t grow … Continue reading Today: Jackie Mallon’s choice

Today: David Hogan’s choice

Not one of my three sisters is a loud, dirty, boozy girl. That’s probably a good thing for them -- as well as me. But if one or two or all of them were, I would give them this book if only because Dylan Thomas, that loud, dirty, boozy poet, said I should. Even without … Continue reading Today: David Hogan’s choice