*
I have been too snowed under to report on the Dalkey Book Festival. Let it suffice to say it's a gorgeous festival in a gorgeous place. If I were a millionaire (har har) I'd live there - the cute village, the beautiful bay, the warm locals...
Bono showed up to hear Heaney; and Helena Nolan and Carlo Gébler showed up to hear Mary Costello and me ;) We were delighted with our large, attentive, literary audience in The Magpie Inn, a truly friendly and lovely venue with great food, organic wine and a variety of good beers. All thanks to Declan Meade of The Stinging Fly and Rachel of the Inn who organised the reading and hosted us so well.
Earlier in the day Yvonne Cassidy read beautifully from her new novel, set in Manhattan and Dublin, What Might Have Been Me. She is already in the thick of her next New York novel, whose main character she told us is 'a bit OCD, a bit spunky'.
Mary Costello read a gorgeous, moving story from her acclaimed collection The China Factory. The story - 'This Falling Sickness'- is about a woman attending her ex-husband's funeral in Mayo, but also has the death of a child in an accident. The story I read, 'Cri de Coeur' was as jolly - death by suicide of a mother and her daughter - it isn't all about that, of course, but we were well matched. Q&A and signing afterwards.
Here are a couple of my pics of the day. See the festival's Facebook page for the ones of Heaney and Bono.
 |
| Writers rocking stripes: Myself and Helena Nolan before Yvonne Cassidy's reading (Juno in the back) |
 |
| Yvonne Cassidy signing after her reading |
 |
| Mary Costello reading from The China Factory |
24 comments:
Hi Nuala, great blog. I am torn between Lorrie Moore and Anne Enright but if I really had to choose it would be Anne. 'Little Sister' is one of my favourite stories. It stayed with me long after I read it.
Angela
Hi Nuala, great blog. I am torn between Lorrie Moore and Anne Enright but if I really had to choose it would be Anne. 'Little Sister' is one of my favourite stories.
Hi Nuala, great blog. Torn between Lorrie Moore and Anne Enright but if I have to choose then it's Anne. Loved, loved 'Little Sister' from Yesterday's Weather. It stayed with me for a long time after I read it. A
No need to enter, me, as I've already bought, read and loved it! Sorry to miss you in Dalkey -- college getting in the way of everything!
Glad to hear it went well. Really liked your interview the other day esp re notebooks (oh, how I identify) and not knowing the ending of short stories before you start them (oh the relief!).
E.x
Hey Nuala
While William Trevor is probably my favourite short story writer, I'd plump for Alistair MacLeod's As Birds Bring Forth The Sun as my favourite piece.
Sentiments shared about Dalkey - a great day on Saturday. Yourself and Mary were (morbidly) great.
Regards
D
Alice Munro
"Friend of my Youth"
:-)
Nora
Alice Munro
"Friend of my Youth"
:-)
Nora
Hi Nuala! So many options - but I'm currently obsessed with all things Kevin Barry!
Hi Nuala, so many to choose from... But I'm currently obsessed with all things Kevin Barry!
Helen Simpson is one of my favourite short story writers. 'Hey Yeah Right Get A Life' is one of my favourite stories.
And congrats on the publication of Mother America :)
Hi Nuala - I think I'm going to have to go with an oldie but a goodie - Frank O'Connor's First Confession. I rediscovered it this year when nostalgia got the better of me and I finally bought Soundings. I gave up on the hope that I would find my own battered, tattered copy hidden in the depths of the tea-chest in our garage. Congrats again on the publication of Mother America - am dying to read it but have promised it to myself as a treat when I have finally finished this portfolio :-)
Actually - on that last comment, I meant to write Exploring English - rather than Soundings - oops! Apologies for typo!
I knew what you meant, Ruth :)
All of you who have commented are in the hat!
I could name hundreds of favourite short stories and tens of favourite short story writers, but for simplicity let's go with Simon Van Booy and his collection, 'The Secret Lives of People in Love'. Every story in this collection, speaks to the soul.
Warmest
Rob
P.S. I was going to suggest Kevin Barry, but Valerie beat me to it - no surprise there then :)
I love Clare Keegan's work. Difficult to choose a favourite story, maybe The Ginger Rogers Sermon from Antarctica... It is haunting.
Has to be William Trevor. His superb economy is truely breathtaking. Oh to be able to write like that. And then there's Kevin Barry, in ways a polar opposite. While in equal control of the work, his turn of phrase is a joy to behold.
Andrea Barrett's 'Ship Fever And Other Stories' is one of my favourite books, ever. My favourite story (out of the 8 wonderful, melancholy excursions into the murkiness of 'science' and thought) is 'Rare Bird'. Thanks for a wonderful and thought-provoking post: I am off to rearrange some stories in what was maybe a novel and now maybe possibly isn't.
Lovely blog post. You Should Have Seen the Mess by Muriel Spark, for its voice (and the cringe factor)!
I'm going Poe for writer, but one of my absolute favourite stories is 'A Visit from the Footbinder' by
Emily Prager.
I'll mention two: Alice Munro and Edgar Allan Poe!
Alice Munro and Edgar Allan Poe!
And the winner is - FREDDY FUTON!
FREDDY FUTOM, even!!
AKA Dermot Duffy. Dermot - please email me your address to nuala AT nualanichonchuir DOT COM.
Congrats!
Post a Comment