Irish writing shines on in Dedalus anthology
In these days of physical darkness and, often, metaphysical despair come occasional flashes of brilliance. One such has been the publication, by Dedalus Press, of an anthology called Shine On. This aptly named collection features poetry and prose by some of the best-known names in Irish writing. Beautifully produced and full of resonant pieces, it's in support of the voluntary organisation Shine, which works with people affected by mental ill-health.
The idea for the book came from the director of Shine, John Saunders. Its purpose, as Pat Boran explains in his thoughtful editor’s introduction, is not therapeutic. Pick it up, however, and you’ll find it hard not to be cheered by the sheer range and quality of the work showcased in its 292 pages. They contain stories by Kevin Barry, Claire Keegan, Colum McCann, Nuala Ní Chonchúir, Dermot Bolger and Evelyn Conlon, and poems by Theo Dorgan, Brendan Kennelly, Paula Meehan, Greg Delanty, Vincent Woods and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill.
There's an excerpt from Circles Around the Sun, a memoir that Molly McCloskey (above) wrote about her schizophrenic brother. Paul Durcan is to be found T hinking About Suicide; Sara Berkeley captures the loss of a mother to a cruel neurological disease in Fall Back. Many of the ills of modern life are here, from a cancer diagnosis to heroin addiction – and still the book pulses with life and mischief.
As Boran himself writes in his poem Advice for Writers: "The story begins / where you are: the poem sets off through the woods / with a lunch packed by Emily Dickinson, word by careful word, / beauty, strangeness and mystery in / every direction."
Ross O’Carroll-Kelly: the nation’s favourite, roysh
As part of its 125th-anniversary celebrations, Eason has been on the hunt for Ireland's favourite book. Readers from every county in the country cast their votes on the shop's new-look website – and the winning title, from a list of 125, was Ross O'Carroll-Kelly's The Oh My God Delusion. Author Paul Howard was thrilled. "I've been writing Ross O'Carroll-Kelly books for 13 years, and it's very gratifying that readers still find the books relevant and funny."
The Oh My God Delusionis the 10th in the series – and deserves an award, as indeed do all the Ross books, for its title alone. According to the Eason poll, the nation's second-favourite book is Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, closely followed by Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Ringsand John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
Eggers gets a welcome Albatross around his neck
From Germany comes the news that Dave Eggers has won the 2012 Albatross Prize for his "nonfiction novel" Zeitoun, published by Hamish Hamilton. The biennial prize is one of Germany's most valuable, with the pot of €40,000 being divided between the author (left) and his German translators, Ulrike Wasel and Klaus Timmermann.
The book tells the story of a Syrian-American who stays in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, paddling around in his canoe trying to help people, only to be arrested without charge.
The possibility that he is being detained on suspicion of looting is transformed when Zeitoun hears himself referred to by a soldier as “al-Qaeda”.
Eggers has donated his share of the prize money to the Zeitoun Foundation, created to support the reconstruction of New Orleans and human rights in the US and worldwide.
