Literary Diary
O Madeleine Keane
NLY five days of the most challenging month of the year left to go and they’ll be livened up by the announcement on Tuesday of the Costa Book of the Year Award. (For what it’s worth, my money is on Middle England by Jonathan Coe.) There’s much to look forward to on the literary front in February, starting with a slew of new titles coming from John Banville, Eimear McBride, Graham Swift and Avarind Adiga.
“Handsome, clever, and rich”, Emma gets another screen outing. Jane Austen’s spirited heroine will be played by Anya Taylor-Joy and the sound of Bill Nighy as Mr Woodhouse is enticing. Due out on Valentine’s Day.
Tramp Press will unveil its 2020 titles early in the month with readings from writers Sara Baume, Doireann Ni Ghriofa and Jack Fennell.
Spring heralds festival season with Mountains to Sea happening in my neighbourhood in March. The Dun Laoghaire fiesta always packs an engaging programme. I’ll be interviewing Louise Doughty, author of the celebrated Apple Tree Yard. Her latest novel Platform Seven tackles coercive control. US writer Curtis Sittenfeld (American Wife, Sisterland) in convo with Maia Dunphy, and Anne Enright and Colum McCann discussing their new novels (Actress and Apeirogon) will all be hot tickets. Full details at www. mountainstosea.ie.
February also sees the start of a raft of new courses at the Irish Writers’ Centre. It has a great line up for all levels: memoir writing with Michael Harding, short story courses taught by Jan Carson, June Caldwell, Nicole Flattery and Danielle McLaughlin, crime craft by Sinead Crowley and Louise Phillip and Write Here, Write Now from Justine Carbery. There’s also travel writing, screenplay, animation, comedy and a teens spring writing camp. More info at www.irishwriterscentre.ie.
Lastly, December may be a distant memory but for all those who entered our Great Arts Quiz 2019, the answers and winner will be revealed on these pages next week.