EVENT: AN EVENING WITH FRAN LEBOWITZ
A true American original and purveyor of urban cool, the iconic cultural satirist, author and star of Netflix smash Pretend It's A City is pointed, forthright and unapologetically opinionated, and known for her hilariously dry social commentary on American life (National Concert Hall, Dublin, Saturday April 15th)
BOOK: THE RED BIRD SINGS
Aoife Fitzpatrick makes her literary debut with this impressive slice of Southern Feminist Gothic, based upon real events. West Virginia, 1897: After the sudden death of young Zona Shue only a few months after her impromptu wedding, her mother Mary Jane has a vision - she was killed. And by none other than her new husband, Trout, the handsome blacksmith beloved in their small Southern town. Trout is put on trial but no one believes he's guilty apart from Mary Jane and the eccentric Lucy Frye - an unmarried woman who always suspected Trout's power over her friend. As the trial raises to fever pitch and the men of Greenbrier County stand aligned against them, Mary Jane and Lucy must decide whether to play with fire and reveal Zona's greatest secret. But it's Zona herself, from beyond the grave, who still has one last revelation to make... Read an extract here, and Aoife talks to Arena below. (Virago, out now)
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
CINEMAS: RENFIELD
Renfield, the tortured aide to his narcissistic boss, Dracula, is forced to procure his master's prey and do his every bidding. However, after centuries of servitude, he's ready to see if there's a life outside the shadow of the Prince of Darkness... Nicolas Hoult and Awkwafina star alongside Nicolas Cage as Dracula, which pretty much makes this one a must-see. (Cinemas nationwide)
MUSIC: MYTHOLOGIES
When you think of French electro pioneers Daft Punk, chances are that the words 'classical music' don’t feature too high on your list. But now composer Thomas Bangalter loses the helmet to compose for a symphony orchestra. The result is 'Mythologies', which swaps ditches electro for Baroque (Warners, out now)
STREAMING: OBSESSION
An intense affair between a talented surgeon and his son's fiancée spirals into a dangerous, all-consuming obsession, with devastating consequences for the whole family, in this tense, erotic thriller inspired by Josephine Hart's novel Damage and starring Charlie Murphy alongside Richard Armitage, Indira Varma and Rish Shah (Netflix, now streaming)
Hear the Culture 5 every Friday on Aedín in the Afternoon on RTÉ lyric fm, from 1pm - listen back here.
