Remembering David Bowie through his 100 favorite books
Although David Bowie was best known for his music, he also made countless contributions to the worlds of art, fashion and film. But the singer, who died Sunday, was also devoted to literature. In 2013,...
View Article‘Based on a true story’: the fine line between fact and fiction
From Kapuscinski to Knausgaard, from Mantel to Macfarlane, more and more writers are challenging the border between fiction and nonfiction. Here Geoff Dyer – longtime master of the space between, in...
View Article'Bovery' or 'Bovary,' story still works
When in 1857, Gustav Flaubert published his now-classic novel, "Emma Bovary," about a wife's infidelity, the writer was brought to trial (and acquitted) for immorality, overlooking the work's profound...
View ArticleReview: Uninspired And Disengaged 'Madame Bovary' Starring Mia Wasikowska
By Rodrigo Perez | The Playlist Tue Jun 09 18:04:00 EDT 2015 0 It is not prerequisite that the period costume drama needs a hook, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. Joe Wright’s stylish “Anna Karenina”...
View ArticleKetil Bjornstad: ‘The novel is the best weapon against multi-tasking’
Ketil Bjornstad is a Norwegian pianist, composer and author. ketilbjornstad.com What was the first book to make an impression on you? It must have been Saint Exupéry, The little Prince. My father read...
View ArticleMadame Bovary at 160: a bourgeois sex revolutionary
Flaubert’s anti-heroine, the original Desperate Housewife lost in the dreams of romantic fiction, was a scandal on publication and still challenges our morality...
View ArticleThe 100 best novels in English? Irish writers and critics have their say
Fair play to Robert McCrum. Compiling a list over two years entitled The 100 best novels written in English for the Observer and guardian.com is not simply sticking your head over the literary parapet,...
View ArticleJames Carol: ‘The story comes first, then the facts’
James Carol is the Scottish-born author of the Jefferson Winter series of thriller novels - the third, Prey, has just been published by Faber. He lives in Hertfordshire. What was the first book to make...
View ArticleA sneak preview of next Saturday’s books coverage in The Irish Times
On the fiction front this week, Irish Times crime-writing columnist Declan Burke reviews Belfast Noir, a Northern anthology edited by Stuart Neville and Adrian McKinty. Eileen Battersby reviews Uppsala...
View ArticleGunnar Staalesen Q&A: ‘Most crime writers are very nice people, although I am...
One of the fathers of Nordic Noir, Gunnar Staalesen was born in Bergen, Norway in 1947. He made his debut at the age of 22 with Seasons of Innocence and in 1977 he published the first book in the Varg...
View ArticleRagnar Jónasson Q&A: ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd had a great impact on me’
Ragnar Jónasson is the Icelandic author of the Dark Iceland crime series set in the northernmost town in Iceland, Siglufjordur. Snowblind (Orenda Books) is the first book in the Dark Iceland series....
View ArticleFrankie Gaffney’s advice to writers: ‘give up the booze and break some rules’
What was the first book to make an impression on you? My Ma started reading to me long before I can remember, so I can’t recall a first book. Where the Wild Things Are made an early impression, though....
View ArticleBrought to Book: John Boyne on Noddy, Homer Wells, ‘Birdsong’ and a Kindle tip
John Boyne’s latest novel is Stay Where You Are And Then Leave. His new novel for adults – his first set in contemporary Ireland – will be published by Doubleday in September, titled A History of...
View ArticlePeter Swanson: ‘Being lost in a book is one of the greatest feelings in the...
Peter Swanson is the author of two novels, The Girl with a Clock for a Heart, and The Kind Worth Killing (Faber & Faber, £14.99). His poems, stories and reviews have been published in journals such...
View ArticleGavin McCrea: ‘when I finished John McGahern’s Memoir, I wept for an entire day’
What was the first book to make an impression on you? The one that I watched my mother read in her chair in the corner of the kitchen. What was your favourite book as a child? Roald Dahl’s Matilda....
View ArticleAnthony Glavin on Eggshells by Caitriona Lally: a novel that keeps its promises
I’ll confess it was with fingers crossed that I opened Caitriona Lally’s beguiling debut novel, Eggshells, of which I had previously seen the first 10,000 words as one of three judges for the Irish...
View ArticleReview: Eggshells, by Caitriona Lally: full of action and humour
In his analysis of the works of James Joyce, the novelist, linguist and literary critic Anthony Burgess maintained that there are two types of novels – those focused on the world at large, with plot...
View ArticleGerard Lee’s motto: ‘Write something, or there’ll be no cake’
What was the first book to make an impression on you? Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson. What was your favourite book as a child? The Boy with the Bronze Axe by Kathleen Fidler, published in 1968. I...
View ArticleLouise O’Neill: ‘I try and constantly cut back on the excess in my writing’
What was the first book to make an impression on you? The first book that I remember making an indelible impression on me was The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. I’m a voracious reader so it takes...
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