Edna O’Brien and Kevin Barry are among the authors in contention for the Dalkey Literary Awards, The Irish Times reports.
The literary prizes are given each year to works by authors who were born in or live in Ireland.
O’Brien made the shortlist for the Novel of the Year award with Girl, the 2019 book that she has hinted might be her last. A reviewer for Kirkus called the novel, which follows a young woman who’s kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram, “a heartbreaking tale and a singular achievement.”
Barry was named a finalist for Night Boat to Tangier, about two aging criminals reflecting on their lives. A Kirkus critic called the book “an exceptional chapter to the literary history of a country that inspires cruelty and comedy and uncommon writing.”
Also nominated for the Novel of the Year prize are Christine Dwyer Hickey’s The Narrow Land, Joseph O’Connor’s Shadowplay, Mary Costello’s The River Capture, and Jan Carson’s The Fire Starters.
The shortlist for the Emerging Writer Award includes Nicole Flattery for her debut short story collection, Show Them a Good Time, and Sinéad Gleeson for Constellations. Rounding out the list are Rónán Hession for Leonard and Hungry Paul, Lucy Sweeney Byrne for Paris Syndrome, Eleanor Fitzsimons for The Life Loves of E. Nesbit, and Adrian Duncan for Love Notes from a German Building Site.
The winners of the awards will be announced on June 20.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
