In celebration of St Patrick’s Day, we at IWG have compiled a list of Top Irish authors for you to enjoy and discover. Here provides a fantastic mix of genres and writing styles, truly something for everyone to read to appreciate the talent of some fabulous Irish writers, from past and present!
Born in 1854 in Dublin, Ireland, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde is arguably best known for his novel A Picture of Dorian Grey (which has been turned into a film), but it is sometimes forgotten how exceptionally well rounded Wilde was. Along with being an author, he was also a poet, with some of his greatest poetry being Requiescat and The Dole of the King's Daughter. Secondly, he was also a fantastic playwright, with his most famous play being The Importance of Being Earnest. Sadly however, nowadays Wilde is primarily remembered for his imprisonment regarding the crime and conviction of sodomy (homosexuality) and of his early death due to contracting meningitis.
Among the best-loved romance writers of our time, Cecelia Ahern is known for writing novels including, P.S. I Love You, The Gift and If You Could See Me Now. Born in 1981 in Dublin, Ireland, Ahern wrote P.S. I Love You, her first novel, at the age of 21-years-old, which became a best-seller and number one in Ireland for 19 weeks. She has also created and produced the ABC show Samantha Who? and is a face of the Littlewoods brand in Ireland. An interesting fact about Ahern is that she used to be a part of Irish pop group Shimma, who finished in third place in the Irish national final for the Eurovision song contest in 2000. Four of her books (P.S. I Love You, Where Rainbows End, If You Could See Me Now and Thanks For The Memories) have been or are currently in film production.
Born in 1882 in the Dublin suburb of Rathgar, Joyce was, and remains, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde (experimental works in regards to art, politics and culture) of the early 20th century. Best known for his book Ullysses which is both an innovation in 20th century literature as it conveys parody and jokes along with a contrast in characters with Homer's famous Odyssey, it also illuminates Dublin life with focus on poverty and strife, but in a way that relays his affection for the city, a quote from Joyce being; "For myself, I always write about Dublin, because if I can get to the heart of Dublin I can get to the heart of all the cities of the world. In the particular is contained the universal.". Joyce's repertoire also boasts three books of poetry, his occasional journalism, published letters, short stories and a play.
Maeve Binchy Snell (known professionally as Maeve Binchy) was a well-known Irish author, journalist, and playwright among other things, including for her short story writing.
If you have ever read a novel by Binchy you will understand how her writing can grip you and keep you in its focus until the story has finished. Outselling other authors on this list, including Wilde and Joyce, Binchy's work has been translated into 37 languages and has sold over 40 millions copies worldwide. Binchy's work was notable in the post-war Irish fiction literary movement, with titles such as A Circle of Friends and Scarhttp://blog.easons.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Maeve_Binchy.jpglet Feather including another notable factor in Binchy's writing – her believable and highly detailed characters and their complicated relationships. She died in 2012, with an enviable collection of awards and honours, including a British Book Award for Lifetime Achievement and she has had a bridge named after her in Dublin along with other authors such as James Joyce, dramatist Sean O'Casey and novelist Samuel Beckett.
An Irish-American novelist most famous for his Angela's Ashes book, Frances 'Frank' McCourt was born in New York, USA in 1930. He makes this list because of his astounding work that is Angela's Ashes, which told the tale of his childhood struggles with poverty in both New York and in Limerick, Ireland. This work won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography in 1997 and was followed with two further stories; 'Tis in 1999 and Teacher Man in 2005. Angela's Ashes was adapted into a film version of the story in 1999 and won the award for Best Picture in the Irish Film and Television Awards among many others, and it has also stocked up ten nominations for a range of awards, including BAFTA and the Empire Awards. McCourt's raw and intense portrayal of his childhood proved him to be among some of the greatest Irish authors regardless of his dual-citizenship in America.