Lovely Review of The Good Son

Over on The British Council literature blog the staff are talking about their book pics this month. Matt Beavers, Literature Programme Manager had this to say about The Good Son

“I’ve been reading The Good Son, Paul McVeigh’s debut novel which won the Polari First Book Prize in 2016. It is a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the 1980s Belfast. Mickey Donnelly is about to head to secondary school. He got into the local grammar but his parents can’t afford it so he is counting down the days until his first day at St Gabriel’s, which he’s dreading. The book is a fantastic and moving journey into the mind of a young boy who knows he is different and is trying to make sense of himself and the difficult world around him. Through Mickey’s first person narration, we gain a vivid insight into the atmosphere of Troubles and their impact on everyday family and community life. The book is nonetheless hopeful and extremely funny. I look forward to reading more from Paul in future.”

Nice way to start the week.

The Good Son 3rd Editon

Winner of The Polari Prize
“Both dancing and disquieting, complex and vivid, I devoured it in a day, but I’ve thought about it for many, many more.” Lisa McInerney
“It’s a triumph of storytelling, an absolute gem.” Donal Ryan
“Funny, raw and endlessly entertaining.” Johnathan Coe

Talking Translation: International Literature Festival Dublin

I’m looking forward to my fist visit to The International Literature Festival Dublin.

ILFD

I’m part of an event called Talking Translation – Writing and Rewriting: Writers and Translators in Conversation on May 27 at 10.30am – 12.30pm.

At this literary brunch in the fabulous Drury Buildings, broadcaster and presenter Sinéad Gleeson will interview me, Paul Fournel from France and Rasha Khayat from Germany about our work and experiences with translation and translators.

Also present to talk about their translating challenges will be Hans-Christian Oeser, who co-translated my novel The Good Son into German (Guter Junge ), and Sinead Crowe, who is working on the English translation of Rasha Khayat’s novel Weil Wir Längst Woanders Sind. The discussion will be followed by some short multilingual readings, after which the audience will have the chance to ask us questions and talk further with us over brunch.

Guter Junge

 

From the website: Speakers: Rasha Khayat, German author and translator from Arabic and English. Paul Fournel, writer and member of the Oulipo movement. Paul McVeigh, author of The Good Son, published in 2015, and winner of the Polari Prize and the McCrea Literary Award. Hans-Christian Oeser, editor, critic and translator of Paul McVeigh and numerous other writers from Ireland and other English-speaking countries. Sinéad Crowe, German to English translator of authors including Rasha Khayat.

Moderator: Sinéad Gleeson, journalist and broadcaster who presents ‘The Book Show’ on RTÉ Radio, reports on RTÉ’s ‘The Work’s’ and writes for The Irish Times.

Organised by the French Embassy in Ireland, the German Embassy Dublin, the Goethe-Institut Irland and Literature Ireland within the framework of the French- German cultural funds.

The Good Son in Short Story to Novel Essay

Congratulations to novelist Susmita Bhattacharya who wrote this essay for a competition and wasn’t longlisted BUT it has been published by the internationally prestigious LA Review of Books. Just shows you – never give up on a piece you know is good, it just needs to find the right home! And sometimes the new home is better than the intended one 🙂

The essay talks about the link between the short story and novel in specific work including my novel The Good Son which came from a short story as well as Virgina Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway.

The Good Son 3rd Editon

Winner of The Polari Prize
“Both dancing and disquieting, complex and vivid, I devoured it in a day, but I’ve thought about it for many, many more.” Lisa McInerney
“It’s a triumph of storytelling, an absolute gem.” Donal Ryan
“Funny, raw and endlessly entertaining.” Johnathan Coe

World Book Night: Free Books

2000 copies of my debut novel ‘The Good Son’ are being given out all over the UK this week as part of the World Book Night 2017 celebrations. This is such an honour. And to think I volunteered giving out books on World Book Night twice, now my book gets chosen. You couldn’t make it up.

I’ve already seen books being given out in Manchester and Carlisle in colleges and libraries.


You can copies this weekend at Gays the Word in London.


You can also pick up copies in Brighton where The Good Son was the City Reads in 2016.

I’ll give out more information when I get it.

Grab your free copy!

The Good Son in WHSmith Fresh Talent

Exciting news for me and The Good Son thanks to WHSmith Travel who have chosen me for their Fresh Talent promotion (reported in The Bookseller today). The Good Son will be in all their travel shops in trains stations and airports around the UK. Great news for reaching new audiences.

Special thanks to The Polari Prize (and founder Paul Burston) which, I think, had a lot to do with this.

Here’s what WH Smith had to say in The Bookseller today:

“Polari First Book Prize winner The Good Son (Salt) by Northern Irish author Paul McVeigh, a coming-of-age novel following a young boy growing up during the Troubles in 1980s Belfast, was singled out as “a gem of a novel that blends pathos and humour perfectly through the eyes of its inspired and heroic narrator, Mickey.”

You can read the whole article and find out about the other authors who were chosen, here.

Winner of The Polari Prize
“One of the most engaging protagonists of the year”
Bailey’s Prize-winner Lisa McInerney
96574-paul2bmc2bveigh

Polari Prize Result Fri Oct 7

A week today, one of these six books will be named winner of The Polari First Book Prize 2016. The writer will receive a trophy and a cheque for £1000.

‘Blood Relatives’ – Stevan Alcock (Fourth Estate)
‘Sugar and Snails’ – Anne Goodwin (Inspired Quill)
‘Trans’ – Juliet Jacques (Verso)
‘Different for Girls’ – Jacquie Lawrence (Zitebooks)
‘Physical’ – Andrew McMillan (Jonathan Cape)
‘The Good Son’ – Paul McVeigh (Salt)

You can come along to find out if I won. The announcement will be part of a Polari salon showcasing readings by Namita Chakrabarty, North Morgan, Alexis Gregory and Amy Acre.

I hope to see some of you there. Fingers crossed for me.

IMG_2426

 

The Good Son: Currently Shortlisted for The Polari Prize
Appearances: Kildare Readers Festival with Lisa McInerney, Oct 15
Wivenhoe Bookshop with AL Kennedy, Oct 29
Outburst Festival Belfast, Nov 14
German Tour: Olpe, Nov 15/Munich, Nov 16/Regendburg, Nov 17/Hamburg, Nov 18
Shrewsbury Literature Festival: Nov 25/26

 

25/26 Nov, Shrewsbury Literature Festival

I’m looking forward to the first Shrewsbury Literature Festival. On the Friday 25th November I’ll be interviewing Jonathan Coe about his new novel Number 11 in the festival’s first ever event. Here’s the info…

“Jonathan Coe is SFL’s first Patron and we are delighted that he will be with us over the Festival weekend. He is the author of numerous novels, including “What a Carve Up!”,The Rotters’ Club” and the Shropshire-based “The Rain before It Falls“.

Jonathan was born in Birmingham and spent many happy childhood holidays in Shropshire. He tells us that he is looking forward to returning to Shrewsbury for the festival in November.

Jonathan’s latest novel is “Number 11” and he will be discussing this book and many other things with the writer, Paul McVeigh, in our very first event!”

On Saturday 26th November I’ll be running a writing workshop and then reading from and talking about The Good Son at 5pm.

I hope to see some of you there.

IMG_2426

 

 The Good Son:Currently Shortlisted for The Polari Prize
Appearances: Kildare Readers Festival with Lisa McInerney, Oct 15
Wivenhoe Bookshop with AL Kennedy, Oct 29
Outburst Festival Belfast, Nov 14
German Tour: Olpe, Nov 15/Munich, Nov 16/Regendburg, Nov 17/Hamburg, Nov 18
Shrewsbury Literature Festival: Nov 25/26

 

 

 

Glorious Debuts with Lisa McInerney

I can’t wait to read with Lisa McInerney again at Kildare Readers Festival, Riverbank Arts Centre, October 14 at 8pm. We met last year at Cork World Book Festival and got on like a house on fire. She is so funny and an all-round lovely person.

me and Quack

Lisa McInerney and me

 

We met again when Lisa read at a fundraiser I organised in Jan 2016 for KAVA Arts in Kinvara.

Group

Nuala O’Connor, Sarah Clancy, Lisa McInerney and me

Since then Lisa has had enormous success winning the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Bailey’s Prize.

We love each other’s work and Lisa wrote an amazing essay on The Good Son for The Irish Times when it was the Book Club Choice for July this year. We’re also good buddies and the craic we have should lead to an excellent event at Kildare Readers Festival.

Hope to see some of you there.