News Editor John O’Connor discusses UCD’s literary success as three professors of UCD’s School of English, Drama, and Film are nominated for the best Irish Book of the last 20 years.
Titles by three professors at UCD have made the shortlist for An Post’s best Irish books of the last 20 years.
Professor Diarmaid Ferriter, Professor of Modern Irish History, has been nominated for his 2007 book, Judging Dev, offering an in-depth analysis of Eamon De Valera using previously unpublished letters in UCD’s archives. Commenting on his making the shortlist to The University Observer, Professor Ferriter stated:
“I think the revisiting of an iconic figure in modern Irish history struck a chord because he was seen as a figure who did much to shape our sovereignty during the formative decades of the state, but he was also controversial and divisive because of the civil war, and the depths of feeling about him, whether positive or negative, endured [...] It also raised questions about myth making, memory and how the passage of time impacts the legacy and assessment of significant political figures.”
Professor Emilie Pine, Professor of Modern Drama at UCD’s School of English, Drama and Film, was shortlisted for her collection of essays - Notes to Self. On this achievement, Pine told The University Observer that “it's a real honour to be included in a list with those other fantastic writers and books. The most profound aspect of publishing a memoir has been the opportunity to meet readers and hear their stories. When Notes to Self was named Book of the Year in 2018, it was a really wonderful accolade, but most of all it meant that readers had connected with it, and that sense of connection is the most valuable outcome.”
UCD’s most successful literary export, Anne Enright, Professor of Creative Writing received a spot on the shortlist for The Gathering - a tale of family history, grief, and the ways we learn to live with our past in the face of death - almost 20 years after the same book won the Man Booker Prize.
The shortlist also features titles by several former alumni including Sally Hayden, Roddy Doyle, Marian Keyes, Edna O’Brien and Manchán Magan and former UCD Writing Fellow Sinéad Gleeson, and UCD Creative Fellow Dave Rudden.
The top 20 titles will be announced on 20 April.