Air by John Boyne: Superb, at-times harrowing, still questioning
Boyne’s main characters are masterfully realised ordinary people trying to move beyond the weight of the past
John Boyne
The Guide: Kevin Hart, Twenty One Pilots, Cork Fringe Festival and other events to see, shows to book and ones to catch before they end
May 3rd-9th: The best movies, music, art and more coming your way this week
John Boyne on Fair Play by Louise Hegarty: A witty debut that celebrates the golden age of crime novels
It takes skill, and even a sense of anarchy, to produce a novel as funny and baffling as this
Flesh by David Szalay: Compulsively readable with more twists than the road to west Cork
John Boyne hails the Hungarian-English author’s best novel yet
Dublin Literary Award 2025: Seven Irish authors on longlist for €100,000 prize
Irish authors Paul Lynch, Colin Barrett, John Boyne, Sinéad Gleeson and Nuala O’Connor also among 71 nominees for €100,000 fiction prize
Read this and weep: Books that made writers cry
John Boyne, Edel Coffey, Ferdia Lennon, Sarah Gilmartin and a dozen other authors and critics on books that had a profound emotional effect on them
Fiction to look out for in 2025: From Eimear McBride to Ben Okri
Emma Donoghue, Joseph O’Connor and Colum McCann are just some of the big names with new books coming out in 2025. Here’s our pick of fiction for the year ahead
‘One Christmas Day my brother set me on fire’: seven writers spill their most bizarre Yuletide yarns
John Boyne, Ann Ingle, Michael Harding, Caitríona Ní Mhurchú and others on testing a mother’s limits, a marriage-threatening event, the Santa conspiracy and a misplaced bird
‘Act disgracefully, if necessary’: Advice for all ages, from Siobhán McSweeney, John Boyne, Tony Cantwell and more
People aged from their 20s to their 90s share life lessons for their younger selves
The Irish Times best books of 2024: Anne Enright, John Boyne, Joseph O’Connor, Mia Levitin and more reveal their favourites
Books by Ferdia Lennon, Miranda July, Donal Ryan, Mary Costello, Alan Hollinghurst, Christine Dwyer Hickey and Sally Rooney feature prominently in this trawl of the year’s best titles
Fire by John Boyne: Monstrous surgeon at dark heart of this memorable novel will invade your dreams
The third novel of a cycle of four with abuse as their central theme makes for a powerful read
John Boyne: ‘I’ve reviewed books by friends and occasionally by antagonists but there’s only one I regret’
Author on latest book in his four-part cycle about abuse and inviting JK Rowling to his dream dinner party
John Boyne: ‘I know now I’ll never be a dad but I’ve perfected the role of uncle. Here’s my advice’
At 53, I know I will never experience fatherhood, but I’ve been a proud uncle for three decades
The Echoes by Evie Wyld review: Lives in limbo
A ghost is one of the narrators in this engaging novel set between England and Australia
Anyone’s Ghost: Powerful debut about lifelong love for an unattainable boy
August Thompson’s novel revolving around unrequited love is full of loneliness as it sensitively tracks a friendship across a decade
Plaything by Bea Setton review: It’s not just the mice who suffer in this Covid-era novel
A cold novel, then, but one that will remain with John Boyne
We asked ChatGPT to write like Marian Keyes, John Boyne and Paul Howard. Now they rate the results
The chatbot takes mere seconds to come up with its versions of these bestselling authors’ work. How convincing are they?
The happiest time of my life… by Sarah McInerney, John Boyne, Marian Keyes and more
It’s world happiness day on Sunday. We asked some people when they have been happiest
What is Twitter doing to your brain?
Unthinkable: New technology may give the impression your mind is no longer your own
John Boyne: How I wrote The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
The author recounts writing around the clock and cutting out every ‘gimmick’
John Boyne: ‘It was very, very upsetting to be called names and to have death threats’
Backlash to the author's recent young-adult book inspired a new novel about social media
When is the history of the Holocaust relevant today?
Hugh Linehan: There may be times when the lessons of the genocidal past are worth recalling, but not this time Mattie McGrath
95 things to look forward to: Matches, movies, plays, pints, pals
By Aisling Bea, Mary McAleese, Richard Ford, Marian Keyes, Tolü Makay, Blindboy and more
John Boyne reports alleged Terenure College abuser to Garda
Sexual abuse complaint made against former teacher in south Dublin school
The Offload: John McClean questions can no longer be silenced
Dan Carter’s legacy? Harry Byrne and NFL comparisons, French Covid-19 mystery
New queer literature anthologies show the work done and the work yet to do
Book reviews: Queer: A Collection of LGBTQ Writing and Queer Love are cause for celebration
Missed milestone: How will schools mark their pupils’ final days?
Schools are planning virtual graduation celebrations for their sixth class students
Covid-19: Calls to let sixth class students say their goodbyes
Celebrities join campaign to send messages to pupils missing out on the end of primary school
Irish writers on Covid-19: ‘We’re all having a shockin’ dose of the wombles’
‘It’s unexpectedly romantic,’ says John Boyne. ’It shows us our true selves,’ says Patricia Scanlan
John Boyne reopens Covid-19 story contest after over 4,000 children enter
Isolation Diaries: The novelist also tells us about his experience of the coronavirus shutdown
John Boyne sets up short-story competition for kids cooped up at home
Cecelia Ahern joins judging panel and helps fund prizes for contest for six- to 18-year-olds
Costa Book of the Year 2019 is announced
The Volunteer by former war reporter Jack Fairweather takes the prize
Can a work of fiction about the Holocaust be inaccurate?
There’s a large quantity of new Holocaust fiction, and experts are worried about quality
Avoid John Boyne’s Holocaust novel, Auschwitz Museum advises
Twitter spat follows author’s criticism of proliferation of books with ‘Auschwitz’ in title
Last Stories by William Trevor is this week’s Irish Times Eason book offer
A sneak preview of this Saturday’s books pages
Fintan O’Toole: I am a cis man with cis privilege
Transgender rights are human rights. They don’t require a hierarchy of victimhood
‘A minefield’: John Boyne talks transgender language with Tubridy
Novelist opens up on ‘cis privilege’ irk while the host issues a plea for education
John Boyne deletes Twitter account after trans article backlash
Bestselling author reiterates support for trans community and blames ‘online trolls’
The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton is this Saturday’s Irish Times Eason offer
A sneak preview of Saturday’s books pages
Dublin Literary Award: Two Irish authors shortlisted for world’s most valuable books prize
Sally Rooney and Bernard MacLaverty shortlisted for the €100,000 prize
John Boyne on his marriage breakdown, award-winning house and 78in TV
Back to Yours podcast: Róisín Ingle chats to the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas author
Back to Yours: Going inside homes with Róisín Ingle on her new podcast
In the first episode, Róisín visits Marian Keyes and her ‘kitsch’ Dublin home
Celebrity Home of the Year: John Boyne’s ‘ego room’ floors judges
There’s no accounting for taste on ‘Celebrity Home of the Year’ – and no easy way to defend the judging
2019 cultural highlights: You’ll laugh, you’ll picnic, you’ll plough
The best music, theatre, comedy, film and spoken word in the coming year
Cool Yule: 30 ways to have a stress-free Christmas
Take the hassle out of the festive season by following our expert guide
Me and my dog: ‘You be you and I’ll be your fool’
Paul Howard’s basset hound, Humphrey, has had a stubborn streak from day one
John Boyne describes ‘one of those long dark nights of the soul’ after break-up
Novelist reveals he ended up in hospital after taking too many pills
Do you have what it takes to be an Irish diplomat?
Interested in representing Ireland abroad? The next generation of diplomats are being recruited
Hodges Figgis: A 250-year-old story of selling books
‘On Christmas Eve there was always a sherry reception for the customers’
The ultimate Irish bucket list: Croagh Patrick, the Gaeltacht, soda bread
What’s the one thing every Irish person should do before they die?
John Boyne’s answer to breaking up: Call in the decorator
The best-selling author’s house was full of memories; interior designer Caroline Flannery gave it a whole new vibe
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices