Kevin Barry
Top 10 first lines in fiction
The first words of a story have to do a lot of work in snaring the reader. Novelist Liz Nugent considers some of her favourites
Liz Nugent
05, Apr, 2023 @11:00 AM
Take risks and tell the truth: how to write a great short story
Drawing on writers from Anton Chekhov to Kit de Waal, Donal Ryan explores the art of writing short fiction. Plus Chris Power on the best books for budding short story writers
Donal Ryan
14, Aug, 2021 @8:00 AM
This month’s best paperbacks: preppers, Hari Kunzru, a history of celebrity and more
Here are some of the best paperbacks out in August, including outstanding short stories, uplifting true tales, and a guide to becoming an expert
06, Aug, 2021 @12:29 PM
Top 10 stories about bored teenagers | John Patrick McHugh
Writers from Alice Munro to JD Salinger capture the restless ennui and dangerous passions of the do-nothing years before adulthood sets in
John Patrick McHugh
28, Jul, 2021 @12:22 PM
This Christmas, read a story aloud - you'll be surprised by the joy it brings
With many of us set to spend Christmas on Zoom or the phone, author Sarah Hall shares why dark and daring tales are perfect to read to others - and 10 great stories to try
Sarah Hall
24, Dec, 2020 @10:00 AM
The Art of the Glimpse edited by Sinead Gleeson review – 100 Irish short stories
A gloriously varied collection that gives voice to the forgotten and overlooked as well as the famous and familiar
Eithne Farry
13, Nov, 2020 @9:00 AM
That Old Country Music by Kevin Barry review – wild, witty stories
The west of Ireland teems with canny characters and vivid language in the author’s third collection
Hephzibah Anderson
25, Oct, 2020 @9:00 AM
Top 10 Irish gothic novels
From ancient terrors to modern horrors, authors from Oscar Wilde to Anna Burns have found in Ireland rich and genuinely scary storytelling terrain
Ruth Gilligan
01, Apr, 2020 @10:05 AM
Not the Booker longlist: vote now to decide the 2019 shortlist
Our initial poll has put more than 170 novels in contention. We need your learned opinions to winnow this down to a shortlist next week
Sam Jordison
29, Jul, 2019 @2:37 PM
Not read them yet? A cheat's guide to the 2019 Booker prize longlist
This year’s ‘Booker’s dozen’ includes two former winners as well as an international array of acclaimed fiction. Here’s what you need to know
23, Jul, 2019 @11:01 PM
Kevin Barry: ‘I want to get that thread of menace’
The novelist on being surprised by his creations, Ireland’s weird west coast, and why he couldn’t finish Madame Bovary
Sean O’Hagan
22, Jun, 2019 @5:00 PM
Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry review – darkly comic voyage into the abyss
Ageing Irish gangsters trade banter in a Spanish ferry terminal, in this beautifully written two-hander about crime’s toll on the soul
Alan Warner
22, Jun, 2019 @6:30 AM
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