Europe through literature discussion

In the first two months of 2025 we will be reading literature from Ireland.

Titles for all three categories (classic, contemporary and short story/essay) can be nominated in this thread.

Feel free to discuss availability here as well, i.e. let us know beforehand if a nominated title is unavailable for you before we put up the polls.

I'd like to nominate a short story collection, by William Trevor, The News From Ireland

I nominate The Bee Sting (contemporary)

I nominate Handiwork by Sara Baume. This could be contemporary or essays I guess?

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan contemporary/short story

Sharon wrote: "I'd like to nominate a short story collection, by William Trevor, The News From Ireland "

Thanks for recommending William Trevor, Sharon. I hope the title is still available in some libraries - amazon does not have it...

Caroline wrote: "I nominate The Bee Sting (contemporary)"

The title won the Booker last year as far as I know and sounds like fun!

Jen wrote: "I nominate Handiwork by Sara Baume. This could be contemporary or essays I guess?"

I read Sara Baume's A Line Made By Walking a couple of years ago as it was nominated for the Goldsmiths Prize in 2017. It was good and a bit experimental.

Claire wrote: "Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan contemporary/short story"

Another Booker prize title (one of last year's nominees), also sounds interesting!

Orgeluse wrote: "Sharon wrote: "I'd like to nominate a short story collection, by William Trevor, The News From Ireland "

Thanks for recomm..."
Oh my, I didn't check as I have a beloved copy. Might be better to un-nominate and just suggest it as a very good book. Happy Holidays!

Instead of the William Trevor book, The News from Ireland, which is unavailable on Amazon, I nominate This Is Happiness by Niall Williams. Contemporary.

Sharon wrote: "Instead of the William Trevor book, The News from Ireland, which is unavailable on Amazon, I nominate This Is Happiness by Niall Williams. Contemporary."

Thank you, Sharon, for the renomination!

Anything by Clare Keegan really - she's amazing!
I still haven't read So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men

Hi all!
To sum up the nomination process, we have the following titles to be read in the upcoming two months (and beyond :)):

Contemporary reads:
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Winner of the Booker Prize in 2023

This Is Happiness by Niall Williams
Walter Scott Prize Nominee for Historical Fiction Longlist


novellas:
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
(winner of two prizes in 2022)

Handiwork by Sara Baume
(experimental novella)

Short story collections:
So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men by Claire Keegan


As we are only a handful of participants in this thread and all the nominated titles are worth reading, I have decided that all titles that have been nominated are selected as group reads for Irish literature :)

I will open up three different threads according to the three categories, where you can comment on and exchange your thoughts about the respective titles you have nominated.

Enjoy reading!

I think “novella” would imply fiction but Handiwork is nonfiction.

Orgeluse wrote: "As we are only a handful of participants in this thread and all the nominated titles are worth reading, I have decided that all titles that have been nominated are selected as group reads for Irish literature :)"

Oooh excellent: In the optimism of a new reading year: Maybe I'll read more of these :)

If anyone is interested in the sordid and frankly quite insane history of Ireland, I really recommend this book We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland by Fintan O'Toole
I really enjoyed it - and I usually can't be bothered with history books, but this is told in little thematic episodes all weaving a picture of Ireland.

Jen wrote: "I think “novella” would imply fiction but Handiwork is nonfiction."

Oops! Yes, I agree to some extent that this book might be considered non-fiction, but as her language and her communicative strategies are to be found more in the realm of fiction than non-fiction I am tempted to consider this as a "something in between" :))

Anetq wrote: "Orgeluse wrote: "As we are only a handful of participants in this thread and all the nominated titles are worth reading, I have decided that all titles that have been nominated are selected as grou..."

Thanks for recommending the book by Fintan O'Toole!
And: Drawing conclusions from activities in this group this year I thought this was the best solution :)