The list features a host of distinguished authors including Paul Murray, Paul Lynch, Liz Nugent, Colin Walsh, Anne Enright, Joseph O’Connor, Eithne Shortall, Katriona O’Sullivan, Liam Brady, Roz Purcell, Mark O’Connell, Catherine Ryan Howard, Eoin Colfer, and many, many more.
The shortlist for 2019's International Dublin Literary award has just been announced and it includes two Irish authors! The award is for novels written in English or translated to English. As well as the entries form Ireland this year's shortlist of ten includes books from France, Pakistan, the UK and the USA.The International DUBLIN Literary Award is proudly sponsored by Dublin City Council and managed by Dublin City Libraries. The award is worth €100,000 to the winner. If the book has been translated the author receives €75,000 and the translator received €25,000. The two Irish novels are Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney and Midwinter Break by Bernard MacLaverty. The complete list of shortlisted titles are:Compass by Mathias Énard (French) Translated from French by Charlotte Mandell. Nominated by Paris, France and Kecskemét, Hungary.Borrow a copy from the library History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund (American). Nominated by Zurich, Switzerland and Stamford, USA.Borrow a copy from the library Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (Pakistani / British). Nominated by Bridgetown, Barbados; Brussels, Belgium; Halifax and Toronto, Canada; Dusseldorf, Germany; Barcelona, Spain; Houston, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, San Diego and Pittsburgh, USA.Borrow a copy from the library | Borrow an ebook Midwinter Break by Bernard MacLaverty (Northern Ireland). Nominated by Newcastle and London, UK; Galway, Ireland; Bern, Switzerland; Milwaukee and San Diego, USA.Borrow a copy from the library | Borrow an ebook Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor (British). Nominated by Brussels, Belgium; Sydney and Winnipeg, Canada; Nottingham, UK; Limerick, Ireland and Bergen, Norway.Borrow a copy from the library | Borrow an ebook Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney (Irish). Nominated by Liverpool, Dublin and Stockholm, Sweden.Borrow a copy from the library | Borrow an ebook Idaho by Emily Ruskovich (American). Nominated by Brugges, Belgium.Borrow a copy from the library Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (American). Nominated by Prague, Czech Republic; Reykjavík, Iceland; Barcelona, Spain; Cincinnati, Portland, Kansas City, Denver, Concord and Iowa City, USA.Borrow a copy from the library | Borrow an ebook A Boy in Winter by Rachel Seiffert (British). Nominated by Bergen, Norway.Borrow a copy from the library Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie (Pakistani / British). Nominated by Philadelphia, Richmond and Columbia, USA.Borrow a copy from the library Speaking about the award Lord Mayor of Dublin, and Patron of the Award, Nial Ring said "The egalitarian way in which books are long listed, through public libraries worldwide, is to be commended in a world where sales figures can dominate the literary conversation so often. The beauty of this award is that it reaches out to readers and authors worldwide, while also celebrating excellence in contemporary Irish literature represented on the 2019 shortlist by Sally Rooney and Bernard MacLaverty."The titles on this year’s shortlist were nominated by public libraries in Barbados, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the USA said Mairead Owens, Dublin City Librarian. The novels come from France, Ireland, Pakistan, the UK and the USA and it is from this diverse list that the eventual winner will be chosen. Memorable characters tell stories of identity and displacement, violence and war, family, relationships and loss, set in both familiar and unfamiliar countries and cultures. ‘The five member international judging panel, chaired by Hon. Eugene R. Sullivan, will select one winner, which will be announced by the Lord Mayor, Patron of the Award, on Wednesday 12th June.
Congratulations to Sara Baume whose second book 'a line made by walking' has been shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize 2017. 'A line made by walking' charts a young artist's search for meaning and healing in rural Ireland. Struggling to cope with urban life and life in general, Frankie retreats to her family's rural house on "turbine hill," vacant since her grandmother's death three years earlier.Listen back to Sara reading from and discussing 'a line made by walking' at our recent Contemporary Irish Authors series at the Central Library.Irish authors have good form, winning three out of four Goldsmiths Prizes since its inception in 2013.The shortlist features two former winners of the International Dublin Literary Award, Nicola Barker, who won in 2000 with Wide Open and and Jon McGregor, who won in 2012 with Even the Dogs. Will Self as the author of many books, needs no introduction! There is one debut novel on the shortlist, Playing Possum by Kevin Davey. First Love is the fifth novel by English author Gwendoline Riley. She has previously won the Betty Trask Award and a Somerset Maugham Award.The full shortlist, with links to our catalogue:H(a)ppy by Nicola Barker. Williiam HeinemannA Line Made by Walking by Sara Baume. William HeinemannPlaying Possum by Kevin Davey. Aaaargh! PressReservoir 13 by Jon McGregor. 4th EstateFirst Love by Gwendoline Riley. GrantaPhone by Will Self. VikingAbout the AwardThe Goldsmiths Prize was established in 2013 to "celebrate the qualities of creative daring... and to reward fiction that breaks the mould or opens up new possibilities for the novel form." (Quote) The prize is sponsored by Goldsmiths, University of London in association with the New Statesman, and is open to works by authors from the UK and the Republic of Ireland.Previous winners2016: Solar Bones by Mike McCormack2015: Beatlebone by Kevin Barry2014: How to be Both by Ali Smith2013: A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBrideThe winner will be announced on 15 November.
Sara Baume was yesterday awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature in recognition of her outstanding achievement as a fiction writer. The prize is awarded annually to an emerging Irish writer under forty years of age for a body of work that the selection committee considers shows exceptional promise. However the Prize website does state that 'a single exceptional work may warrant an award'.Right: Sara Baume (photo: Tramp Press)Sara's debut novel, Spill Simmer Falter Wither, was published in Ireland by Tramp Press earlier this year and recently released in the UK by Windmill Books. It has been longlisted for this year's Guardian First Book Award, being the readers' nominee. Sara has also won the Davy Byrnes Short Story Award in 2014 and earlier this year won the Hennessy New Irish Writing Award. Her short fiction has been published in The Dublin Review, The Moth, The Penny Dreadful, The Stinging Fly and the Irish Independent as part of the Hennessy New Irish Writing series. Her short story Soulsearcher1 is available in Davy Byrnes Stories 2014.Sara was born in Lancashire in the UK but grew up in County Cork.Book SummarySpringtime, and two misfits – one an eccentric loner and the other a one-eyed dog – forge an unlikely relationship. In a tired seaside town, these outcasts find solace in each other. But as their friendship grows, they are driven away by a community that perceives menace where there is only mishap.About Soulsearcher1Solesearcher1’ is set in a small town on the Irish coast and the characters in it are creatures of habit. The story shows the moment when that sense of habit becomes strange, difficult and sinister, but there is great pleasure in the writing and this makes a piece that is about loneliness and isolation very enjoyable, somehow, with tenderness and insight on every page. (Source: The Stinging Fly)About the Rooney PrizeThe Rooney Prize was established in 1976 through the generosity of Dr Daniel Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers (American football team) and of his wife Patricia, and since 2007 it has been administered in Trinity College's Oscar Wilde Centre for Irish Writing of the School of English. It is worth €10,000 to the winner.This is the 39th year of the Prize, and past winners have included Bernard Farrell, Kevin Barry, Neil Jordan and Anne Enright. Last years' winner was Colin Barrett.Read alsoSpill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume review – a deft and moving debut (Guardian)Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume - book review: A heart-breaking read from a major new talent (UK Independent)Sara Baume: ‘I actually hate writing. It’s really hard’ (Irish Times)Sara Baume is readers' nominee for Guardian first book award 2015 (Guardian)Davy Byrnes Short Story Award (The Stinging Fly)Visit Sara Baume on the web. See also Tramp Press.
Two Irish Authors on Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction Shortlist
Two Irish authors, Eimear McBride and Audrey Magee have been shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction for their debut novels, A Girl is a Half-formed Thing and The Undertaking.A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride is a highly original novel that navigates complicated family relationships and memories using stream of consciousness. It was recently shortlisted for the inaugural Folio Prize and won the inaugural Goldsmiths Prize 2013, a literary award for fiction that "opens up new possibilities for the novel form". Audrey Magee's The Undertaking, a powerful first novel set in Germany and the Soviet Union during World War II, is an intense portrayal of ordinary people pushed to do extraordinary things, setting in motion events that will have horrific consequences.Also on the shortlist is Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche who won the award in 2007 for Half of a Yellow Sun.Here's the full shortlist (with links to library catalogue):Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche – AmericanahHannah Kent – Burial RitesJhumpa Lahiri – The LowlandAudrey Magee – The UndertakingEimear McBride – A Girl is a Half Formed ThingDonna Tartt – The GoldfinchThe winner will be announced on 4th June 2014.
The BORD GÁIS Energy Irish Book Award winners were announced last night.Authors Roddy Doyle, Darina Allen, Paul Howard and Michael Harding were among the winners in the various categories.Children’s writers Benji Bennett and Derek Landy, newcomer Niamh Boyce, crime writer Louise Philips, sports writer David Walsh, short story writer Billy O’ Callaghan and Fintan O’Toole were also honoured at the gala ceremony held in Dublin.Esteemed novelist John Banville (left, image source) was presented with the 'Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award 2013' by actress Sinéad Cusack for his contribution to Irish literature, and a tribute to the late Seamus Heaney was screened during the ceremony which featured accolades from former US President Bill Clinton and Edna O’ Brien.The winners in the various categories were:RTÉ Radio 1’s The John Murray Show Listeners’ Choice Award: 'Staring at Lakes' by Michael HardingThe Eason Novel of the Year: 'The Guts' by Roddy DoyleThe Books Are My Bag Best Irish-published Book of the Year: 'A History Of Ireland in 100 Objects' by Fintan O’TooleThe International Education Services Ltd Popular Fiction Book of the Year: 'Downturn Abbey' by Ross O’Carroll KellyThe Ireland AM Crime Fiction Book of the Year: 'The Doll's House' by Louise Philips The Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year: 'The Herbalist' by Niamh BoyceThe Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year Jnr.: 'When You Were Born' by Benji BennettThe Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year Snr: 'Skulduggery Pleasant: Last Stand of Dead Men' by Derek LandyThe RTÉ Television Sports Book of the Year 'Seven Deadly Sins' by David WalshThe Avonmore Cookbook of the Year: '30 Years of Ballymaloe' by Darina AllenThe Bord Gáis Energy Bookshop of the Year: The Clifden Bookshop, Clifden, Co. GalwayThe Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award: John Banville
A Winning Night at Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards
Ireland's 'glitterati' came out in force last night at the Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards Ceremony in the Concert Hall of the RDS. In a night when Seamus Heaney received the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by fellow poet Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland, it would be easier to say who wasn't there, than who was - even former US President Bill Clinton appeared in a pre-recorded tribute to 'one of the world's favourite poets'.The Irish Book Award winners are voted on by the public and the various categories were hotly contested. All winning and shortlisted books are available to borrow from Dublin City Public Libraries. Winners on the night were;Neil Jordan, for his novel Mistaken (Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year)Belinda McKeown, for her novel Solace (Sunday Independent Best Irish Newcomer of the Year)Sheila O'Flanagan, for her novel All for You (Easons Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year)Alan Glynn, for his novel Bloodland (Ireland AM Irish Crime Fiction Book of the Year)Tim Robinson, for Connemara (International Education Services Best Irish Published Book of the Year)Caitlyn Moran, for How to be a Woman (RTE John Murray Show Listener's Choice)Rachel Allen, for Easy Meals (Argosy Irish Non-fiction Book of the Year)Nicholas Roche, for Inside the Peloton (Irish Sports Book of the Year)Chris Judge, for his picturebook The Lonely Beast (Specsavers Irish Children's Book of the Year: Junior)Anna Carey, for her novel The Real Rebecca (Specsavers Irish Children's Book of the Year: Senior)A full list of all the short listed titles is still available on the Irish Book Awards website.
