The Writing Irish

<p>Indisputably Ireland's most talented and prolific interviewer. - <em>Irish Daily Mail</em></p><p> </p><p><em>The Writing Irish</em> is an anthology of in-depth interviews with some of the island's leading literary luminaries.</p><p> </p><p>This wide-ranging collection of 18 subjects includes several of Ireland's most critically acclaimed novelists: Jennifer Johnston Sebastian Barry John Boyne Emma Donoghue Donal Ryan Joseph O'Connor Pat McCabe and Dermot Healy who was described as a Celtic Hemingway.</p><p> </p><p>There's two entire chapters dedicated to the many candid discussions O'Toole enjoyed with the late Irish-American author JP Donleavy whose book <em>The Ginger Man</em> was selected 99th out of the Modern Library's Best 100 Novels of the 20th Century. As the great man himself quipped I guess that's better than a kick in the arse!</p><p> </p><p>The eclectic collection also includes best-selling authors Deirdre Purcell Derek Landy and Lee Dunne who held the dubious honor of being Ireland's most banned novelist.</p><p> </p><p><em>The Writing Irish</em> has a posthumously published lengthy Q&A with the critically acclaimed poet Leland Bardwell and a rare personal interview with the two-term sitting Irish President Michael D. Higgins.</p><p> </p><p>O'Toole also enjoyed fascinating exchanges with Brendan Behan's biographer Ulick O'Connor and Ian Gibson whose authoritative tomes on Lorca and Salvador Dalí have seen him hailed as the creator of modern biography in Spain.</p><p> </p><p>O'Toole specialises in in-your-face interviews.- </p><p><em>Sunday Independent</em></p><p> </p><p>Jason O'Toole is frequently hailed as the finest interviewer of his generation. He is a columnist with the <em>Irish Sunday Mirror </em>and a music writer for the <em>Irish Daily Mirror.</em> <em>The Writing Irish</em> is his ninth book.</p><p><br></p>