MITCHELSTOWN AUTHOR ON BOOKER LIST
Mitchelstown born author William Trevor has made the long list of thirteen titles nominated for the prestigious Man Booker prize.
Trevor, 81, has been previously shortlisted four times for the annual prize, and is long listed for his new novel ‘Love and Summer’. He is the third Irish author to make the list, along with previously twice nominated Colm Toibin for ‘Brooklyn’ and first-time nominee Ed O’Loughlin ‘Not Untrue & Not Unkind’.
The winner of the Man Booker prize will receive a ?50,000 prize and literary commentators believe a nomination for the respected award can see book sales jump by some 50%.
‘Love and Summer’ will be released in late August, with the high-profile approval likely to boost demand for Trevor’s book. Liam Cusack, a member of the organising committee of the Trevor / Bowen Summer Literary School, which is named jointly in his honour and held in Mitchelstown every year, paid tribute to Mr Trevor’s longevity.
“It is nice to see a man of 81 years of age who can produce such fantastic and well received work. As a fan of his I’m delighted, it is astonishing given his age. I would imagine very few people listed for such a renowned literary prize at 81 years of age,” Mr Cusack said.
In paying tribute to William Trevor’s extensive cannon of work, an entry into which the summer school examine every year, Mr Cusack revealed that the organising committee hope to look at film adaptations of Trevor’s material next year.
He added that there is another Mitchelstown connection to this year’s Man Brooker prize; Ed O’Loughlin’s ‘Not Untrue & Not Unkind’, is published by Penguin Ireland, whose CEO, Mr Cusack said, is Michael McLaughlin who was also born in Mitchelstown and whose father was former owner of Clongibbon House.
Published:
Friday 31st July 10:50am
