Congratulations to Catherine Ryan Howard, whose second novel, The Liar's Girl, has been shortlisted for the Mystery Writers of America 2019 Edgar Award for Best Novel. You can read Catherine writing about her work here and Declan Hughes's review here. Another Catherine is also to be congratulated, as the 2018 Irish PEN Award for Contribution to Irish Literature has been awarded to Catherine Dunne.
Sadly, this week also marked the death of the troubled but gifted Belfast poet of the Troubles, Padraic Fiacc, at the age of 94, and English editor and memoirist Diana Athill, aged 101. May they rest in peace.
Coming up in this Saturday’s Irish Times, Rebecca Ziegler writes about two-time Booker winner JG Farrell, subject of her new book; Claire Connolly delves into the life and work of neglected Irish writer Maria Edgeworth; and Denyse Woods talks to three librarians working in Estonia, Cairo and Australia about their careers. We also publish January’s outstanding Hennessy New Irish Writing winning short story and poems.
Reviews include Eoin McNamee on For the Good Times by David Keenan; Éilís Ní Dhuibhne on When All is Said by Anne Griffin; Helen Cullen on A Well-Behaved Woman: a novel of the Vanderbilts by Therese Anne Fowler; Sarah Gilmartin on Something Like Breathing by Angela Readman; Declan Burke on The Redeemed by Tim Pears; David Woolner on The Kremlin Letters: Stalin’s Wartime Correspondence with Churchill and Roosevelt; Mick Heaney on Last Train to Hilversum by Charlie Connelly; Declan Hughes on the best new crime fiction; Rob Doyle on Practicalities by Margueerite Duras, translated by Barbara Bray; and a new Brexit poem by Iggy McGovern, Airfixit.
Finally, if you are buying The Irish Times in Eason this Saturday, you can save €7 on the cover price of Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff. Bargain. Bigly.
