If you were one of those kids who actually enjoyed getting up in front of class to give a book report, here’s an offer we hope you won’t refuse.
Hibernian Ed Curtin has put together a plan for the first ever Portland Hibernian Book Night on Thursday November 20 at Kells Restaurant in Downtown Portland.
HERE’S HIS PITCH.
An opportunity to share a bit about a book or books that you enjoyed or found significant. The book has a connection to Ireland. Fiction. Non-fiction. Poetry. Biography. Any genre. Present in 3-5 minutes: Title and author. A short synopsis.
Why you liked it and why others might, too. We'll make a list to print to give to all those present and disseminate through the PDX Hibernian Independent.
INTERESTED IN TALKING ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE IRISH BOOK OR AUTHOR? DROP ED AN EMAIL AT curtine@peak.org.
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. RANDOM NOTES ON IRISH BOOKS AND WRITERS
Nowadays the top two Irish fiction writers in terms of sales are Sally Rooney (Normal People) and Tana French (In the Woods). The all-time best selling fiction writer is Maeve Binchy (Circle of Friends). She has sold at least 40 million books in 37 languages. When Binchy died, the Irish author John Banville (The Sea) noted it was the day after Gore Vidal died, “Vidal used to say it was not enough for him to succeed, but others must fail. Maeve wanted everyone to be a success.” Her Irish optimism endures.
Maeve Binchy
It’s been nearly 30 years since Irish American Frank McCourt published his memoir Angela’s Ashes and exposed the dark side of 20th century Ireland and New York. It's still a tough but revealing read with Irish resilience and wit saving the day. If realism is what you’re looking for, there’s Alice McDermott (Charming Billy) and Pete Hamill (Forever, The Drinking Life).
Pete Hamill
The Booker Prize goes to a writer in the UK and Ireland annually. It’s like the Pulitzer in America. These are the six Irish writers with a Booker. Iris Murdoch (The Sea, The Sea) John Banville, (The Sea) Anne Enright (The Gathering)), Roddy Doyle ( Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha), Anna Burns (Milkman) and Paul Lynch (Prophet Song). McCourt won the Pulitzer for Angela’s Ashes.
Claire Keegan (Small Things Like These, Foster) writes books that can be read in one or two sittings, but which stay with you long after you set them down.
One of the all-time best selling works of historical fiction based in Ireland of the late 19th and early 20th century was written by the son of a Jewish emigrant to America from Russia. Leon Uris’s Trinity spent 35 weeks as Number One on the New York Times Best Seller list in 1976 and 1977. We’re coming up on the 50th anniversary of its publication, so we’ll have a report on how Trinity captured the public’s imagination while telling Ireland’s story. Uris is better known as the author of Exodus.
It's literally impossibe to list all the Irish books you may have come across and ejoyed over the years. So, share your own favorite or favorites. For a list of the notable Irish books of the last 15 years, click here. For a short list of the best contemproary books out of Ireland, check out this list.
JOIN US NOVEMBER 20, SIX P.M. AT KELLS RESTAURANT. PDX HIBERNIAN BOOK NIGHT.