# author
This month
March 2023
# Writing
'That is an urban myth': John Boyne claims he never had a spat with Auschwitz memorial museum
Boyne had a wide-ranging interview with RTÉ’s Brendan O’Connor.
Last year
2022
# Literature
Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka wins 2022 Booker Prize
The winner was announced in a ceremony that was broadcast this evening.
# queen of dirt island
'It felt like it was whispered to me every day': Donal Ryan on the unexpected genesis of his latest novel
The author’s sixth novel is about the life of four generations of a Tipperary family.
Voices
Author: 'I knew those neo-Nazi classmates were living in a sort of oblivion of meaninglessness'
Conner Habib has now made Ireland his home. But here, he recalls his youth in Pennsylvania, and how it fed into the writing of his debut novel.
# author
Salman Rushdie's family say he has 'life-changing injuries' but his sense of humour is 'intact'
The man accused of stabbing the author yesterday pleaded not guilty.
# murder she wrote
'How to murder your husband' writer found guilty of killing husband
The author of “The Wrong Husband” and “The Wrong Lover,” had been struggling financially before she shot her husband twice.
Voices
Opinion: I look back at the surgery and trauma and ask myself - how did I get through it all?
Growing up, Marguerite Penrose had various labels placed on her: Black, born in a mother and baby home, disabled. Here, she writes about her journey to be herself.
Voices
Opinion: We don’t grant girls autonomy, but when we do, it’s because something is their fault
Author Catherine Prasifka reflects on what growing up has taught her about how society treats teenage girls.
Voices
Opinion: 'There are few intergenerational battles as charged as the quest for the mobile phone'
Author Eithne Shortall on how the habits of young children and phones inspired her latest novel.
# RIP
Tributes paid to author and journalist Colm Keane, who has died aged 70
He was the author of 29 books and produced several documentaries.
All time
# Memoir
Author Alice Sebold apologises to man wrongly jailed for raping her
Anthony Broadwater’s conviction was overturned last week after a re-examination of the case found serious flaws in the prosecution.
# big deal
Neflix acquires the whole works of Roald Dahl
Dahl’s books have been translated into 63 languages and sold more than 300 million copies worldwide.
# RIP
The Worst Witch author Jill Murphy dies aged 72
The writer was also well known for her Large Family series and her picture books.
# short story
The Irish Read: A short story from Philip Ó Ceallaigh's new collection, Trouble
Enjoy a section from a new work by an Irish author this Sunday morning.
Voices
Opinion: I had fun jobs, crap jobs, redundancies, got fired - and then I wrote my first book
Lizzy Dent describes the adventures that brought her to her first novel.
# Interview
Roddy Doyle: 'My books stop being about me the minute I start writing'
In his new novel, two old friends meet up for a pint in Dublin city centre – and discover new things about each other’s lives.
# strange flowers
Donal Ryan: 'When I became aware of the darkness in the world, I was so shocked'
The Irish author speaks to us on the release of his new novel, Strange Flowers.
# curtis sittenfeld
What if Hillary Rodham had never married Bill Clinton? A new novel imagines the results
We chat to its author, bestselling writer Curtis Sittenfeld.
# my dark vanessa
Writing in the #MeToo era: 'It was intimidating taking on something in fiction that was happening in real time'
We spoke to the author Kate Elizabeth Russell about what inspired her controversial but critically-acclaimed novel.
# strange hotel
Eimear McBride: 'The amount of 'she's not a genius, she's a very naughty girl' I've got is just ridiculous'
The critically-acclaimed Irish author speaks to us about her new novel Strange Hotel.
# Interview
Anne Enright: 'Pre-Trump, if you had a problem it was your problem. That's another head-wreck'
The author speaks to us as she publishes her latest novel, Actress.
# read this
These are the Irish novels to look out for in early 2020
It’s going to be a jam-packed year.
# child of mine
Best-selling author Lee Child is applying for Irish passport because of Brexit
The novelist says he is “not a huge fan of Britain”.
Voices
A short story before bedtime: Bluebell Meadow by Benedict Kiely
Kiely would have been 100 on 15 August of this year. Born in Dromore, he had a long and prolific writing career.
# Upheaval
Jared Diamond: 'It would be imprudent for Ireland to give itself over to self-pity and hatred from the past'
Pulitzer-Prize winning historian Jared Diamond talks about how countries recover – or don’t – from massive crises.
Voices
Opinion: 'Children need to learn about LGBT issues in school - it will reassure them and combat fear'
Robin Stevens grew up in a generation were ‘gayness was erased’. Her books have shown her that young readers want to read about LGBTQ+ lives – and she wants to see more of this explored in schools.
# Interview
The Rebellion against Modern Football: Conifa, unrecognised nations and celebrating the grassroots
The42 speaks to James Hendicott, author of CONIFA: Football for the Forgotten, about his new book.
Voices
Opinion: 'Why do we like reading about crime so much in Ireland? Because it offers escapism'
Crime writer Sam Blake explains that writing and reading crime can help you get away from the news when it’s grim. And unlike in real life, there’ll always be a satisfying ending.
# cry for help
Author John Boyne on the night he took 'too many pills' after break-up
The Irish author opened up about the night he almost took his own life after the breakdown of his marriage.
# the cruelty men
This epic novel explores Ireland's history during a century of hurt and shame
The novel, by Emer Martin, explores the fate of one Irish family.
# author
Children's book award drops Laura Ingalls Wilder's name over racist content
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award will now be known as the Children’s Literature Legacy Award.
# Bloomsday
By day, John Shevlin makes hats, but once a year he transforms into James Joyce
Meet Dublin’s go-to James Joyce lookalike.
# heartland
Patrick McCabe: 'There's a danger there's a tolerance of worthiness and political correctness in fiction that I find unattractive'
We spoke to the critically-acclaimed Irish author of books like The Butcher Boy and Breakfast on Pluto about his latest novel, Heartland.
# RIP
'I'm heartbroken': Irish author Emma Hannigan laid to rest following 11-year battle with cancer
Emma Hannigan passed away last Saturday.
# Emma Hannigan
Writers join together to push Irish author's new book to top spot after terminal diagnosis
Bestselling author Emma Hannigan announced on Friday that her breast cancer is now terminal.
# author
'There were people approaching me in book signings saying you jinxed us'
Guillem Balague chats to The42 about his new book inside Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs.
# Irish book awards
Frank McGuinness's journey from 'timid Donegal boy' to successful writer
We visited the writer in his office at UCD.
# RIP
Irish filmmaker Simon Fitzmaurice has died aged 43
The funeral mass for Fitzmaurice will take place in Greystones tomorrow afternoon.
# Interview
John Banville: 'Many people regard me as a misogynist. I am the opposite of a misogynist'
Considered one of Ireland’s greatest writers, he has penned what he says is a feminist sequel to Henry James’ novel The Portrait of A Lady.
# garda informer
Former IRA informer Sean O'Callaghan dies in Jamaica
O’Callaghan worked as a garda informer from within the provisional IRA during the 1980s.
