James Patterson

James Conor Patterson is a writer from Newry, Co. Down. His debut poetry collection 'bandit country' (Picador, 2022) was recently nominated for the TS Eliot Award and the John Pollard International Poetry Prize.

Colin Barrett made this year's Booker Prize longlist with his book Wild Houses

Why are there no Irish authors on this year's Booker shortlist?

After the success of Irish authors at last year's Booker Prize, this year's committee seems to have passed over several deserving Irish entries. Why is that?

Opinion and Analysis • 25 Sep 24

Sally Rooney returns to bookshelves this month with her new novel

The rise and rise of Sally Rooney, and the literary event of 2024

Whatever else may be true about Sally Rooney, the fact of her success throughout her career has been a thorn in the side for all the wrong people.

Books • 15 Sep 24

Book Of The Day: The Heart In Winter by Kevin Barry

Reading Kevin Barry is like hanging out with a fun relative at a lavish family wedding; one you're happy to have been pulled aside to listen to, despite the revels and capers all around...

Books • 18 Jul 24

Book Of The Day: Devotion by Mícheál McCann

One of the most frustrating things about contemporary attitudes to the Confessional lyric is the expectation that it should be wholly autobiographical.

Books • 03 Jul 24

Book Of The Week: Openings by Lucy Caldwell

The Carver-esque story titles that make up Lucy Caldwell's new collection belie the lyricism at work in the author's short story canon.

Book Of The Week • 11 Jun 24

Reviewed: Joy in Service on Rue Tagore by Paul Muldoon

Opening a new book by poet Paul Muldoon is like breaking through the floor of an unopened catacomb.

Poetry • 16 May 24

Book Of The Week: Quickly, While They Still Have Horses

In 1973, Gabriel García Márquez told The Atlantic: "In Mexico, surrealism runs through the streets... Surrealism comes from the reality of Latin America."

Book Of The Week • 17 Apr 24

Book Of The Week: Barcelona by Mary Costello

In an era of debut hype and flash-in-the-pan literary controversies, sometimes all it takes is the quiet return of an old master to remind us how it's done.

Books • 20 Mar 24