Her most memorable interview was with her great friend, the writer Nuala O’Faolain, in 2009, when O’Faolain was terminally ill with cancer. It remains an extraordinary, heartbreakingly intimate piece of work, among the greatest of its kind.
Category: BOOK REVIEWS
OPEN MIC AT BALLOCH HOUSE HOTEL ON MONDAY
Valeman Paul Murdoch headlines the Open Mic at Balloch House Hotel next Monday, January 6. Someone commented to me recently, ‘Paul’s singing in the local
SALLY ROONEY IS BEST SELLER IN BRITAIN
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris, a Holocaust love story based on a true story, is Ireland’s bestselling book for the second year in a row. According to figures released by Nielsen BookScan, which compiles the publishing industry’s official charts, it sold 41,627 copies, earning €489,000.
DREADFUL OVERWRITING DOES NOT SPELL CONFIDENCE IN KEELER STORY
The Trial of Christine Keeler (BBC Two, Sunday, 9pm), its latest telling, begins with a disclaimer, admitting some details have been altered for dramatic effect, before adding, in a gossipy aside, “But mainly, you couldn’t make it up.”
OBITUARY: ALASDAIR GRAY
A renowned polymath, Alasdair Gray was beloved equally for his writing and art. His debut, Lanark, which Canongate published in 1981, is widely regarded as being one of the masterpieces of twentieth century fiction. It was followed by more than thirty further books, all of which he designed and illustrated, ranging from novels, short story collections, plays, volumes of poetry, works of non-fiction and translations – most recently, his interpretation of Dante’s Divine Trilogy. His public murals are visible across Glasgow, with further examples of his work on display in galleries from the V&A to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.
LITTLE WOMEN: CHANGE FOR THE BETTER IS POSSIBLE
Short Cuts We’re all familiar with Louisa May Alcott’s novel Little Women, and now there’s another adaptation in the works. The March family have been