A long, long way to St Andrews

Award-winning author, poet and playwright Sebastian Barry will make a special appearance at the University of St Andrews tonight (Wednesday 3 October) as part of a collaborative venture with The Booker Prize Foundation.

Mr Barry will appear in town to give a reading from his Man Booker Prize shortlisted novel A Long Long Way. The visit forms part of the St Andrews’ Man Booker Prize Project, an initiative launched by University Principal Professor Louise Richardson in 2009.

As part of the project, all entrant undergraduate students are provided with a copy of a recently shortlisted piece of work. Students are then given the opportunity to participate in reading groups before the author makes a personal appearance to the University to talk about their work. Mr Barry’s visit follows inaugural author Mohsin Hamid, and subsequently Lloyd Jones and Linda Grant, who spoke at the University last year.

A Long Long Way, which was also shortlisted for the Dublin International Impac Prize, was the Dublin: One City One Book choice for 2007. The Dublin-born writer’s plays include Boss Grady’s Boys (1988), The Steward of Christendom (1995), Our Lady of Sligo (1998), The Pride of Parnell Street (2007), Tales of Ballycumber (2009) and Andersen’s English (2010). His other novels include The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty (1998), Annie Dunne (2002), The Secret Scripture (2008) and, most recently, On Canaan’s Side which was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize (2011).

Sebastian Barry has won, among other awards, the Irish-America Fund Literary Award, the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Prize, the London Critics Circle Award and the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Prize.

Sebastian Barry will appear ‘in conversation’ with the Principal Professor Louise Richardson at 5.15pm on Wednesday 3 October 2012 at the Buchanan Lecture Theatre. He will give a reading from his book and then take questions from the audience. The event is open to the public on a first come first served basis.

Further information.

ENDS

Issued by the Press Office
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