Irish writers have long been at the forefront of formal experimentation in English-language fiction. Now, almost a hundred years after James Joyce and Samuel Beckett shattered expectations of the conventional novel, Irish writers are asking new questions about what fiction is capable of doing. Their works represent remarkable innovations in the representation of subjectivity, identity, and time in fiction. They are also deeply attuned to politics, writing in the wake of the global economic downturn, the collapse of the moral authority of the Catholic church, the Good Friday Agreement, and the creation of new forms of identity in Ireland. This panel brings together some of the most widely acclaimed and adventurous Irish writers of the twenty-first century to discuss the way forward for Irish fiction in a time of migration, right-wing populism, and increasing demands for gender, racial, economic, and climate justice.
Participants:
Colin Barrett
Kevin Barry
Nicole Flattery
Mike McCormack
Belinda McKeon
Sally Rooney
Moderated by Sam Lipsyte and Colm Tóibín
