On St. Patrick's Day, read an Irish author
James Joyce might be too heavy for your taste -- a bit like drinking Guinness in the morning. But there are lots of other Irish authors to choose from. According to Ireland's Independent, the #1 book of the decade was John Boyne's "Boy in the Striped Pyjamas," the YA novel about a German boy at a World War II concentration camp. (Love that European spelling.)
Other possibilities: "'Brooklyn" by Colm Toibin
"Let The Great World Spin" by Colum McCann
"The Sea" by John Banville, or his latest, "The Infinities"
'"The Gathering" by Anne Enright
Comments
My vote's for Flann O'Brien (or Myles na gCopaleen), or J.P. Donleavy (who was actually born in NYC, although his parents were straight-off-the-boat Irish, and he himself has lived in Ireland for the better part of the last 50 years).
Posted by: WP Tandy | March 17, 2010 11:25 AM
They may be Irish-born writers, but it doesn't seem quite right to celebrate the day by reading Toibin or McCann's books about New York. I'm reading Irish fiction all this month, already finished William Trevor and John McGahern, and just started one by Morgan Llywelyn.
Posted by: Pete | March 17, 2010 1:52 PM
I'm currently reading The Pig Did It by Joseph Caldwell. It's modern Irish, comedic, has a murder mystery, and a little bit of everything else.
I also like Peter Tremayne's mysteries set in ancient Ireland.
Wasn't Jonathan Swift also an Irish author?
Posted by: Lauretta (Constellation Books) | March 17, 2010 6:11 PM