May 2012
9 posts
The John Irving Interviews
I spent the last 3 days in the UK, taking part in the publicity tour for John Irving’s new novel IN ONE PERSON. I’ve known John since 2000, when I published my first novel THE THIEF OF TIME, and he very kindly invited me to be his interviewer for the public interviews in London and Edinburgh. Memorable days and fascinating to hear one of the world’s great novelists speak about...
Melbourne Writers Festival
If you happen to live in Australia, then lucky you. You live in the most beautiful country in the world.
And in other news, the 1st part of this year’s Melbourne Writers Festival programme is now online. I’ll be taking part in several events over the course of the festival, which runs from 23 August - 2 September. Tickets are available for the young people’s part of the...
Interview
Here’s a new interview about my writing in general and THE ABSOLUTIST in particular from the writing.ie website.
Read it here.
I Just Finished Reading
Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner
I haven’t read this book since I was a child. Occasionally I like to rediscover a book that thrilled me when I was a kid and see whether it’s still as good today. This one certainly is.
I Went To See
My Cousin Rachel at the Gate Theatre in Dublin last night. An adaptation of Daphne DuMaurier’s novel - one of my favourite books - by Irish novelist Joseph O’Connor. It’s a great production and well worth a visit, although it has only a few days left in its run.
I've Just Finished Reading
The Buddha In The Attic by Julie Otsuka
An intriguing short novel told in the choral voice of a group of Japanese women transported to San Francisco before the Second World War, where they are introduced to their husbands, live lives of varying degrees of contentment and suffer after the Pearl Harbour attacks. The last chapter is particularly interesting, from a stylistic point of view, for an...
I've Just Finished Reading
HHhH by Laurent Binet
A completely gripping novel about the assassination of SS Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich but also an intriguing investigation into the relationship between a novel writer, the subject of that novel and the reader.
Interviewing John Irving
Anyone who has ever read any interview with me will know that I have been a huge fan of the American novelist John Irving since my teenage years.
John is coming to the UK to promote his new novel IN ONE PERSON and I will be interviewing him on stage in London and Edinburgh at the end of this month.
Here’s the wheres and whens - you can buy tickets online:
LONDON: Tuesday May 29th,...
