Irish America

Irish America

Literature

John Banville: A Master Stylist Turns to Crime

By Lauren Byrne, Contributor
June / July 2007

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Like James Joyce and Samuel Beckett, the name John Banville is frequently mentioned in the reverent tones reserved for writers more often invoked than read. His prose, lush and hypnotic, is flecked with mordant humor, but even his most ardent fans agree it can be difficult to register a chuckle amid the ruminations in such novels as The Untouchable, Eclipse, and even his Booker … [Read more...] about John Banville: A Master Stylist Turns to Crime

Maeve Binchy: The Queen of Chick Lit

By Sharon Ní Chonchúir, Contributor
June / July 2007

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UPDATE: Maeve Binchy, one of Ireland's national treasures, passed away on July 30, 2012, in Dublin. Sharon Ní Chonchúir's 2007 interview with Binchy, below, captures her incredible spirit and down-to-earth philosophy. Maeve Binchy couldn’t be more apologetic. She is sincerely fond of her American fans and is disappointed to have to let them down. “I can’t come to America for … [Read more...] about Maeve Binchy: The Queen of Chick Lit

Mother, Life, Landscape, and the Connection

By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
February / March 2007

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Edna O’Brien returns to world of The Country Girls in The Light of Evening, with the mother-daughter relationship as the main theme. "A writer’s life is like an athlete’s life. You train every day of your life and even then it may not be as good as one had hoped,” says Edna O’Brien, who has written 20 books. Her latest, The Light of Evening, tells the story of Eleanora, a … [Read more...] about Mother, Life, Landscape, and the Connection

The First Word: The Grip of Mother Ireland

Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
February / March 2007

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“Like Joyce she has lived in exile but never forgotten a single thing.”  – Professor Declan Kiberd, UCD School of English and Drama, speaking about Edna O’Brien. UCD awarded O’Brien the Ulysses Medal in 2006. To start the New Year off right, we bring you our “Arts Special” issue, featuring a plethora of interviews (and feathers in the case of hatter Philip Treacy), books, … [Read more...] about The First Word: The Grip of Mother Ireland

Imagining the Unknown

By Bridget English, Contributor
February / March 2007

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In his latest novel, Zoli, Dublin-born Colum McCann proves that part of his talent as a writer lies in his ability  to imagine and capture the lives of the forgotten and oppressed. Colum McCann doesn’t write about what he knows. That, he insists, would involve sitting in the study of his apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, surrounded by books and family photos, … [Read more...] about Imagining the Unknown