The Art of Reading is a monthly book club hosted by Colm Tóibín, the Laureate for Irish Fiction.
Each month, the Laureate meets a different library book club to discuss a book by an Irish writer, highlighting outstanding Irish writing and celebrating the reader and book clubs.
The selected titles celebrate new work by contemporary Irish writers, but previous episodes have also highlighted work from the past that the Laureate wishes to bring to a new generation of readers.
This episode features Colm in conversation with Luke Cassidy about his debut novel, Iron Annie, published in 2021 - watch above.
Speaking of the book, the Laureate said: Iron Annie is written with astonishing energy and verve. It is set in the criminal underworld of Dundalk, but more important, it is written in a tone that is intriguing and unforgettable."
"The book uses a living and contemporary language distilled by Cassidy into a radically original style, a style that establishes him, with this debut book, as one of the most exciting writers in Ireland now."
Luke Cassidy is a writer and theatre-maker from Dundalk. His debut novel Iron Annie was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize in 2022. He toured a theatre adaptation of Iron Annie to theatres around Ireland in 2021 & 2022, and is currently developing new work for the stage.
His second novel, Tooth & Nail, will be published in early 2024, also by Bloomsbury Books. He is published in North America by Vintage/Anchor Books.
The Art of Reading Book Club is an initiative of the Arts Council and the Laureate for Irish Fiction, in partnership with Libraries Ireland. Find out more here.
