On February 6th, we’ll discuss Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.
This is a very powerful and excellently written short novel by an author who beautifully captures the musicality of Irish English in her writing. The book won the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. The story highlights Ireland's scandalous and heartbreaking Magdalene Laundries, but it's a story of hope, quiet heroism and empathy.
We suggest reading the book first, and if you’d like to learn more about the Magdelene Laundries, you could watch this documentary: https://youtu.be/Y4VAdN7HaxQ?si=UdcHm0IZpJ56oOFy
Claire Keegan was brought up on a farm in Ireland. At the age of 17, she travelled to New Orleans, where she studied English and Political Science at Loyola University. She returned to Ireland in 1992, and her highly acclaimed first volume of short stories - Antarctica - was published in 1999. Her stories are translated into 30 languages and have won numerous accolades. Antarctica won the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. Walk the Blue Fields won the Edge Hill Prize, awarded to the finest collection of stories published in the British Isles. Foster won the Davy Byrnes Award and was last year chosen by “The Times” as one of the top 50 works of fiction to be published in the 21st century. Small Things Like These was shortlisted for the 2022 Rathbones Folio Prize. It won the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award and the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2022.
Please note: On Friday 6th February the Reading Group will be on the third floor of the library (instead of the second floor, where it is usually held).
Info and booking: 0471 99740, infobiblio@comune.bolzano.it
