Attention: Writing on Life, Art and the World

by Anne Enright

From one our most distinguished literary voices, a defining essay collection blending personal reflection with urgent political writing and wide–ranging cultural criticism.

For thirty years Anne Enright―one of our greatest living novelists (Times)―has been paying casting her lucid and distinctive gaze across the world, literature, and her own life, and drawing us into her precise insights. These essays, collated from throughout Enright’s career, take us from Galway to Honduras, from keen-eyed memoir to urgent political writing. Enright writes about the free voices and controlled bodies of women in she interprets Sophocles’s Antigone through the lens of the Mother and Baby Homes in Galway; writes on Ireland’s successful 2018 referendum on abortion rights; and offers new perspectives on writers such as Alice Munro, Toni Morrison, James Joyce, Helen Garner, and Angela Carter.

True to the themes that saturate her award-winning fiction, Attention explores the intersection between the personal and political, complex family dynamics, and the body in crystalline, urgent prose. This stunning collection unites Enright’s cultural criticism, literary, and autobiographical writing for the first time.

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction, Writing, Memoir, Irish Literature, Ireland, Short Stories

Audible Audio

First published April 7, 2026

About the author

Anne Enright was born in Dublin, where she now lives and works. She has published three volumes of stories, one book of nonfiction, and five novels. In 2015, she was named the inaugural Laureate for Irish Fiction. Her novel The Gathering won the Man Booker Prize, and The Forgotten Waltz won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.

Reviews

[Anggi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Anne’s musings on different topics in this book of essays. She does not shy away from discussing difficult topics such as abortion in Ireland, the Magdalene laundry, disgraced authors such as Junot Diaz, and Alice Munro among others, and also her own upbringing and its influence to the way she writes.

Definitely a must read even if you have not read any of her other work, this is a great book to start with. I can’t wait to read more of her work!

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

anne enright has such a brilliant, inquisitive, challenging, wonderful mind

[Morag Goldfinch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth 5 stars for this line alone. ' A long marriage is, in itself, a lot like Beckett'.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Limpid, lucid prose with complex ideas swarming and connecting under a calm surface. Just the way I like my essays! (And if you only read one, make it On Consent).

[Edie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you loved Deborah Levy's collection of essays, The Position of Spoons, I think you'll love this too. Anne Enright is also a celebrated author, collecting essays from a variety of sources over her career. But whereas Levy's felt a bit like the best parts of twitter when it was at its prime, Enright's is more of a tumblr vibe back when you could find the exact representation of your joy or rage, delight or confusion in your feed. A lot of Irish writers feel very Irish to me and I'm not sure exactly what that means but I feel like you understand what I am trying to say. There is a deep feeling, a deep knowing, a deep rage, a deep spirituality in these essays. Not all of them are all that serious. Unlike a book of essays written to be a collection, this is a jumble of bits and bobs written at various times for various occasions. The only throughline is Enright's gorgeous writing. I loved every minute I spent with Enright and her words. Thank you to the author for her personal narration, giving even more nuance to the pieces, to RBmedia and NetGalley for the audioARC.

[Robert Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is a treasure of good writing.
In the first section Enright examines deeply a number of authors who have impacted her- Joyce,Edna O'Brien,Alice Munro,Toni Morrison,Angel Carter and our own Helen Garner. Full of insight and wisdom and very satisfying.
The remainder of the book comprises essays on topics often discussed, but rarely with such clarity- the Magdalene laundries; the abortion referenda; #metoo; motherhood and childbirth, and concludes with essays of personal recollection.

[Jane Mulligan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of excellent writing in these essays - some more interesting (to me) than others

[liv (≧▽≦) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars ----

I did like this but I had no idea what was going on half the time. Enright discusses many things throughout - I particularly enjoyed her discussions on abortion, women's rights and patriarchy as well as the few reflections on Irish history which I found interesting. However, I think this book requires you to know A LOT about authors and their respective works. Almost half of this book is just Enright's thoughts about certain books, pieces of writing or controversy's authors found themselves in. I felt like I couldn't really engage with what she was saying because I either hadn't read the work she was referring too, or had no idea about the controversies (bar the metoo conversation). This just made it really difficult for me to get into the book, because just as I was getting enthusiastic about a topic, a new essay would begin and I would have no idea what she was talking about.

I've also never read anything else by Enright so the discussions on what influences her writing was also lost on me - I definitely would have enjoyed that more if this wasn't the first book I've picked up from her. I would say if you want to get the most out of this book, read her other work first.

[Patrick O'Donoghue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually, I wouldn’t be tempted to pick up a collection of essays, my assumption being that the thoughts and views of one writer about a variety of subjects would either be too niche or disparate to hold my attention. Well, let me tell you - not so with Anne Enright!

While I initially thought this was a collection of newly written pieces, it’s actually a kind of anthology of previously published essays, talks, and articles, organised into the sections Voices, Bodies, and Time. Each piece is briefly introduced by Enright, giving insight into its origin and background.

Voices focuses primarily on other authors, including Toni Morrison, James Joyce, John McGahern, and Alice Munro.

Bodies focuses on the role of women in society, particularly in Ireland, and explores the control of the Catholic Church, mother and baby homes, and Ireland’s abortion referendum.

Time contains broader and more personal essays which touch on Enright’s own life and her family, including the death of her own mother (who appears throughout the collection), her own marriage, and her upbringing and life in Dublin.

If you have read Enright’s novels or listened to her talk, you will know she’s a wry and witty observer of society, both personal and political, and her warmth and honesty shine throughout this collection. She can be critical but never cutting, and this collection showcases a woman who you’d happily sit down to tea with and set the world to rights.

My favourite piece, The Husband, is an account of several trips taken with her husband, over several years. It’s a beautiful reflection on her marriage, being a writer, and ageing, and I found it very moving.

If you’re a fan of Enright’s novels, Attention is a worthy addition to her body of work. It’s made me reconsider the value of essay collections, and I definitely won’t be so quick to dismiss them in the future. Highly recommended.

For more reviews, follow @podsticles on Instagram.

[Paul Lehane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whatever she writes about in these essays is always compact & considered..a gifted writer.

[Rachel Killean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful smorgasbord of musings from a delightful mind.

[Gili]

Cherished every moment. Loved this book.

[Denis O'donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of writing from a brilliant writer - first essay on Helen Garner a highlight

[Gayle · Rating 2 out of 5]

exactly what I needed

[Helen Cummings · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the whole I enjoyed this meander into Anne Enright’s life, art and the world. Like all collections of essays some appealed to me more than others. However her voice is very strong and clear throughout and it’s almost as though she is talking to you.

[Neil Kenealy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to review the whole collection because it spans a long time and covers a diverse range of topics. Most were published in either New York Review of Books or London Review of Books. So I've put down notes on each essay to give people an idea of what's covered.
Also, an interview of Anne Enright about Attention by Clair Wills.

Part One: Voices.
“The cat sat on the mat” rewritten from different perspectives (man vs woman). A clever cat indeed.

I stab and stab. How to end a story: a very good review of Helen Garner's diaries which was written recently for the LRB.

Priest in the Family: relation of the author and connection with Eileen Joyce, possibly a sister or sister-in-law of James Joyce. Specially commissioned for a centenary of Ulysses in 2022.

Ulysses, An Introduction. A piece about Ulysses and what it contains: “everything, everything, everything”—from where Moses Herzog lived, at 13 Kevin’s Parade in Portobello, to 82 people called Pigeon in Dublin in 1904.

Angela Carter (LRB). A strange and somewhat personal piece. Good education for me on Angela Carter. Angela Carter is described as one of the most influential English-language writers of the late 20th century. She challenged traditional ideas about gender, sexuality, power, and storytelling. Instead of retelling fairy tales straightforwardly, she exposed the darker structures beneath them, especially around women’s roles. Her influence on feminist literature and modern magical realism is widely acknowledged. Anne Enright engages with very similar territory, and both she and Carter are interested in dismantling and reassembling fiction.

Toni Morrison – “Eyes That Bite”. A reference to a master craftsperson whose work endured throughout a lifetime of writing.

Edna O’Brien. A statement from Enright's garden on O’Brien’s death: a eulogy and summary of her life. Knows and admires her work. O’Brien is seen as blazing a trail for writers like Anne Enright and Sally Rooney

John McGahern
A piece involving McGahern and his son, offering nuance on a “hidden Ireland", from the London Review of Books and New York Review of Books (2024).

Maeve Brennan – “The Real Maeve Brennan”. Describes Brennan as a “bag lady in New York” in 1983, contrasted with the later plaque at her house. From The Guardian (2016).

Alice Munro – “Retreat”. About Munro’s cancellation following revelations of complicity in abuse involving her daughter and stepfather. Explores:

How her fiction changed (or didn’t) after the revelations and the complexity of separating life and art. Enright has had a long engagement with Munro’s work.

Part 2 – Bodies
Tuam Babies: “Where are the bodies buried?”
The Tuam babies case is described as ongoing and unresolved. Catherine Corless is acknowledged as a key figure. It is framed as "Antigone in Galway". Catchy title for London Review of Books.
About graveyards as places of reunion after separation through emigration. They were sites where speech was possible under censorship.

Abortion Referendum. The 2018 abortion piece is exceptional. It covers the 8th Amendment to the Irish Constitution (1983) and its long consequences. Discusses its broader implications for democracies elsewhere. There's uncertainty expressed about comparisons to Asian countries.

Volkswagen / Childbirth in Fiction
Discussion of childbirth in fiction, especially Irish fiction.

She starts with Mina Purefoy in Ulysses, a significant representation of childbirth in Irish fiction, and moves on to Kitty in Anna Karenina. Written for a meeting of obstetricians, making it especially accessible.

'The Monsters of #MeToo'. A more complex, sophisticated piece for the LRB which required rereading. The topic is complicated and layered.

“Unruly Bodies”
This is a medical tour de force about the mind–body relationship, placebo effect, gender differences, suggestibility and consent.

Part 3 – Time
I give 5 stars for all this section, which is much more personal.

Dublin Made Me is a bus-based tour de force.

'Oh, Canada' is a winter in Canada (1978) as a teenager, which she describes through food and experience. There was an unexpected abundance and positivity. She remembers a slight discomfort with all the positivity of Canadians, and she notes that she still has a sense of estrangement about that.

'Beckett in a Field' is a recount of a trip to Inis Oírr to see Happy Days by Beckett. It's an unusual setting, and it sparks off memories of other Beckett plays, such as Krapp's Last Tape. Bananas are mentioned.

'Addictions' is a very short piece from a trip to Honduras: surreptitiously "smoking a fag". Suckling babies and mothers are framed in terms of mutual addiction.

“Listen to Heloise” is a dance between religion and life over time. Children and mothers again.

House Clearance is a previously unpublished piece about returning to a childhood home after a mother’s death. Covers the distribution of memorabilia (mass cards, VHS tapes, and photos) as “synapses and neurons” of memory.

The Husband is about Enright and her partner on a cycling trip through Venice, Trieste, Croatia, and Slovenia. Travel, baggage, electric atmosphere Past holidays are remembered and reassembled on the wheels of an electric bike.

[Enchanted Prose]

DNF so didn't rate

Anne Enright is certainly a thinker who makes us think, "Living, as I do, a life of the mind." When she was a teenager, she read a book a day. As an acclaimed literary author who's won many prestigious Irish literary awards, she's a lover of words and an an advocate for Literature. So, we pay attention to what she has to say.

ATTENTION: Writing on Life, Art, and the World is her first collection of essays: twenty-four covering thirty years of her literary reviews, lectures, Dublin roots, Ireland's long, dark history, political fight for independence, shifting views on abortion in a country predominantly Catholic, personal memories, other commentary.

There's an intensity of focus on female agency, though she doesn't seem to want to call herself a feminist. Sexuality is a big theme. "Bad things happen to the women in her novels," she tells us and she does not shy away from it. She's a truth seeker on, it seems, everything. So when it comes to women's bodies and male power she goes after subjects "barely spoken or taboo" as if she wants us to know what goes behind closed doors. Which is where I got hung up.

Personally, I don't want to know about everything "horrible and bizarre" or share that on my Enchanted Prose blog. Regrettably, because I spent a lot of time trying to understand Enright's essays, not so easy to read. As in hard if you don't know about all of Ireland's "dead history," literary references to unfamiliar Irish writers, Greek tragedies. And because the topics she digs into are difficult as in you may prefer to look away. Enright's prose and humanity makes us pay attention.

We admire her. Her fight for justice on many fronts -- women's rights, children's rights, economic rights, political rights -- and her honesty.

It helps to know when she tells us that her literary critiques are influenced by the kind of person the writer was (for instance Irish writer Alice Munro) or are (Australian writer Helen Garner) and how that influenced the writers' voice. My favorite is what she says about Garner, not only recognizing her as a "brilliant writer" but as "a woman who came through." (Her diaries have recently been released.) The title she gives that second essay, "I Stab and Stab," feels as if she's reflecting how the reader may feel, especially early on, unfamiliar with the themes she returns to again and again.

Enright has written eight novels and while you may have read one or more (The Actress, The Wren, The Wren most recently), I still approached the reading as if taking a mini-course to better understand her perspectives. You will see that in one way or another she's had a personal connection or influence to what inspired these writings.

So I regret feeling emotionally disturbed by the explicit deviant sexuality that I stopped reading on page 164. I may very well be an outlier. Because there's lot to learn from someone who's spent a lifetime paying attention.

[Annette Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Attention by Anne Enright and read by the author herself is a collection of non fiction pieces that touch on culture, literature, history, social issues and the author's own life. The collection covers a period of about thirty years, during which huge social changes have swept the country and listening to her discuss topics like the repeal of the eighth amendment to the Irish Constitution which finally legalised abortion in Ireland feels particularly relevant given the ongoing attacks on women's medical freedom in other parts of the world. Alongside this we get more personal pieces that shed a light on the author's upbringing and personal life from her childhood in Dublin to a period spent studying in Canada to her marriage and even the death of her mother. These pieces though personal also had a sense of the universal in that many of us will have experienced similar milestones. The third major category I would describe as literary criticism as she gives us her insights into authors ranging from James Joyce to Toni Morrison. An interesting and eclectic collection made even better by being able to listen to the author reading her own words, with occasional commentary, this was the perfect book to dip into on my commute, allowing me to appreciate the beautifully elucidated opinions, warmth and wit of this wonderful Irish writer.
I read and reviewed an ALC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

[Abi Harrison-Henshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early access provided by NetGalley.

3.5

This felt like being a guest in the author’s living room, having a long, thoughtful conversation. Enright’s narration is natural, unpolished and quietly absorbing. Her writing is accessible, knowledgeable, and precise; intelligent without being pretentious or overly academic. This made the book easy to stick with even when I lacked understanding of the subject matter. She really felt like the English teacher I never had.

The book is split into three sections: Voices, Bodies, and Time.

I struggled with Voices. It really does require more in depth knowledge of the authors and books discussed, however I did enjoy her discussion of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.

Bodies was the highlight for me. Enright is frank and doesn’t shy away from any topic. The strongest elements of this book for me were all from this section; discussions around abortion, birth, and women’s experience of illness and reporting illness.

Time was a more personal section which I also enjoyed, particularly her experience of Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing as being “a guide to having a breakdown in the fresh air”, as well as her experience of living in Canada.

[Sam Cheng · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whether one enjoys Enright's collection of essays will rely heavily on one's appreciation of her reflections on the various authors with whom she interacts. I found it more challenging to stay engaged with this book because I may have read several similar to it, such as Morrison's Liberation of Language and Namwali Serpell's On Morrison. Their (including Enright's) engagement with a specific work or author per chapter is like the SparkNotes version of a class lecture, which I value. But my recent reading, and my unfamiliarity with Enright before reading her new book, may have lessened my attentiveness to Attention.

My thanks to W. W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for an ARC.

[the great gretsby · Rating 4 out of 5]

anne enright has such a fascinating mind, i absolutely love her way of thinking and really enjoyed listening to her thoughts in this audiobook. this essay collection is a bit of a mixed bag and there were some essays i was able to engage with more than others, especially since some of them veer into literary criticism and a certain knowledge of the works discussed is needed to really make sense of them. anne enright is not afraid of being inquisitive and critical and i love the humour with which she approaches her writing. the conversational and often funny tone really helped me get into the essays as someone who usually struggles to enjoy non-fiction. would definitely recommend and can’t wait to read more of her novels!

[PeggySue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Attention by Anne Enright
Read by the author
I found this collection of essays extremely interesting and informative; and many of the writings were very entertaining as well. I especially liked the ones about the various authors except maybe too much Joyce for me. But then, the author is Irish. I loved what she wrote about her time in Canada and eating asparagus for the first time. Also the essay about being in Italy with her husband. This audiobook was so engaging that I listened to it all in one day. The author’s narration was lovely. You really can’t beat an Irish accent.
Thanks to NetGalley

[Eva Pearce · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there was a wrong way to read a set of essays it might be to sit on the sofa each morning for a week taking them like a cup of coffee. That might be the wrong way to read Enright’s wonderful new body of work. But she stirs my mind in a delightful way, and this book gave me a strange burst of energy, and also made me a little weepy again and again. So I don’t really care if I should be taking her in slower. When I speak with women our voices match the tone of the other and we speak quicker and quicker and our sounds join together like plaits. That’s how reading this book felt. Like a beautiful twisted long plait. And so of course I devoured it. A delight!

[Sonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite essays from this collection of Enright's writing are those in first section, about fellow writers like Joyce, Morrison, Munro, and John McGahern. She is part of a long literary tradition of Irish writers and the history of her country and culture come alive as she visits the work and lives of those authors. The second section is called Consent and confronts abuses on several fronts with clarity and courage. I enjoyed her novel The Wren, The Wren and want to read more of her backlist.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of essays is grouped into Voices, Bodies and Time, which is shorthand for the subtitle.

I enjoyed them all and especially liked her perspective on fellow authors (Voices). Her evolving discussion of Irish culture and politics is refined with age and perspective, although the loss of her parents is much more universal.

I have confessed a weakness for Irish writers before, and Enright does not disappoint!

[Louisa]

i have a thing for female irish writers and it all started with anne enright. her prose is alive, precise, her outlook fair, funny, and strangely hopeful. always preferred her essays to her fiction, though
the collection here feels a little uneven (making babies was perfect) and her endings sometimes feel like she stumbled into them, but overall still a good read.

[Daragh Goan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

I’m going to try and review more in 2026.

A beautiful collection of essays and piece of non-fiction that felt serendipitous as a likely last read of 2025.

It’s not 2026 yet so this review is short so leave off will ye

[Ruby Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible!!!!!!! I’ve loved Enright for a few years though I haven’t read all her novels I do intend to. I loved her insights into other writers and matters of the world. Big recommend if you love literature

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m giving this 3 because I usually enjoy Enrights work. However this book is a struggle.. probably closer to 2. Doubt I will finish.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this one essay a day for 24 days and it was always something to look forward to.