Irish Book Awards shortlist announced
26th October 2012 - 5:4pm
John Banville, Edna O'Brien and Emma Donoghue are among the shortlisted writers for this year's Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards, which honours authors right across the publishing spectrum.
The shortlists also feature memoirs from political and sporting figures including former Irish president Mary Robinson, sporting commentator Jimmy Magee and rugby legend John Hayes.
The six books shortlisted for Novel of the Year are Room author Donoghue's Astray, a multi-layered, 14-sequence study of emigrants, runaways and drifters and their place in society, and Dark Lies The Island by Kevin Barry, a collection of unusual stories about love, cruelty, crime, desperation and hope.
Also included are Ancient Light by Banville, about an actor reflecting back on his life, and The Light of Amsterdam by David Park, set at Christmas in Belfast and focusing on three sets of people about to make their way to Amsterdam.
Where Have You Been? by Joseph O’Connor, the author's first collection of short stories in more than 20 years, flits between contemporary London and Dublin and 19th century New York, while Keith Ridgway's Hawthorn and Child is a new take on the detective novel.
This is the seventh year of the awards, with the 2012 shortlist selected from a panel of industry experts. This year a brand new category has also been added to the awards, the Avonmore Cookbook of the Year accolade, which celebrates Ireland's culinary culture.
Members of the public can cast their vote on the best books of the last year via the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards website, with the winners set to be announced in Dublin on Thursday November 22nd.