Fiction He may not have been nominated for this year's Booker Prize, much to the surprise of many observers, but with A Star Called Henry, Roddy Doyle has written a book that, for my money, far surpasses Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, the work that won him the prestigious literary award in 1993. Henry Smart is the larger-than-life hero of Doyle's latest work, but it's his infamous … [Read more...] about The Book SHELF: A sampling of the latest Irish books on offer
Roddy Doyle
Review of Books
Recently published books of Irish and Irish American interest. To purchase these books visit Kenny's Bookshop here. Recommended The Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption and Baseball’s Longest Game Dan Barry, renowned New York Times columnist and two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, saw something in the longest game in the history of professional baseball: that it was about … [Read more...] about Review of Books
A Star Called Roddy
"I said that Ulysses could have done with a good edit. I didn't say it could do with a good edit." Roddy Doyle is clarifying the comments that saw him crowned, for a time at least, Joyce-basher-in-chief. "And I do think that's true for parts of it. I think it could have been a much better book. This has been interpreted as me saying it should be simplified. Editing is not … [Read more...] about A Star Called Roddy
Book Reviews
RECOMMENDED For decades, one simple question has split the Irish on both sides of the Atlantic into two warring factions: Do you love or loathe The Quiet Man, that 1952 stage Irish classic starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, and directed by John Ford? Ford himself was often more Irish than the Irish themselves, making up an ultra-Gaelic name for himself, and playing … [Read more...] about Book Reviews
Film Forum:
When Brendan Met Trudy
The first original screenplay by Irish novelist Roddy Doyle is automatically a cinematic and literary event. When Brendan Met Trudy offers many quirky delights, but it is an uneven and ultimately disappointing film. Doyle's oddball yarn about a movie-obsessed Dublin schoolteacher (Peter McDonald) who falls in love with a thief (Flora Montgomery) is dragged down on screen by its … [Read more...] about Film Forum:
When Brendan Met Trudy