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LAST NIGHT, SEBASTIAN Barry won the prestigious Costa Book of the Year award for the second time, with his book Days Without End scooping him the prize on this occasion.
The 61-year-old had previously won the award in 2008 for The Secret Scripture.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Barry detailed what inspired him to write the book, how its tale of anti-immigration in the US strikes similar chords today, and his sheer shock and delight at winning the award.
The idea for the book came when his teenage son Toby told his parents that he was gay.
Barry had noticed a cause of disquiet in his son and it was when “the philosopher of the family”, Toby’s older sister, pushed him to tell the family that this mood lifted.
While not directly influencing the plot, Barry said that the experience inspired him to make “the devoted love of two men” essential to the plot of Days Without End.
The book centres on an Irish immigrant fleeing the Famine in the 1850s who faces a strong anti-immigrant stance when he arrives in the US.
When researching the history, Barry kept coming across situations and rhetoric mirroring the modern situation in the US.
“To hear all these ancient conversations about immigrants in America in the 1850s,” he said, “that are the ones you’re hearing fresh, as if for the first time, when you’re writing the book” was astonishing for Barry.
While America was built on strong ideals, Barry said the issue of violence across American history appeared again and again while he was researching this book.
The history of America is to honour these extraordinary ideals. We do, in a sense, love America because of that struggle. What is dismaying about recent history is that some people seem to have discarded these core principles.
“For me, in that moment, an idea of America begins to die. I think that’s why we’re all so terrified.”
When it came to the awards announcement yesterday, Barry had gone into the ceremony feeling downbeat about his chances.
He said: “I was practising that strange, unfamiliar discipline of realising, soberly and sensibly, that there was no chance of winning a prize like that twice.
I had talked myself into a joyful reaction to someone else’s good news so I was completely shocked. It’s a shock that reaches down into your oldest reserves of joy.
In terms of his own writing, it is the work of younger Irish writers that invigorates and stimulates his own work.
He praised writers such as Lisa McInerney and Donal Ryan for their “adventures in syntax and language” and detailed how he dispensed with his usual manner of writing for Days Without End.
Writing this book was a new adventure for the renowned author, and one which he relished.
“I no longer feel 61,” Barry concluded, “but 22 again.”
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They (anyone blocking brexit) are to blame.
@Paul White.: your right
@Paul White.: Not
@Paul White.: 100% 3 years and still denying the majority vote.
@Paul White.: no, the violent numpty and those who inspired him are to blame.
@Paul White.: you’re right. BTW Boris voted against brexit. So did Bill Cash and the rest of the Bnp/ERG. You know who voted for brexit. Ken Clarke.
@Paul White.: When half the room want one thing, and the other half want something else, the ONLY way forward is to compromise. That word appears to have been deleted from the English language by mistake!!!
@Dizzy: The referendum was voted on based on absolute bull information. The people were completely duped.
@ObsidianShine: Give it a rest you know nothing People voted for many reasons
@Paul White.: the people on this island voted against brexit, are against Brexit and should not have to suffer brexit. Give us back control of our island as and do what you want over on your own island.
Relentless self promoter, she’ll probably blame it on Corbyn
@De20: Shes a loud mouth Told Dianne Abott to F off Sai she would stab Corybn in the front not his back and on question time last year compared some of the rotherham style abuse of young girls to a night out in Birmingham She can dish it out but cant take it in return
Only got yourself to blame jessie. You brought it all on yourself. Own it.
If only people we as exercised about Climate change , even homelessness or poverty. If you engage in criminal behaviour like attacking an office with people in it. then your a criminal, I doubt that happened overnight .
Virtue signaller extraordinaire!!
Is that it?
You’ve brought this on yourselves.you are a clown in a huge circus full of clowns and boris is the ringmaster.
Brexit it’s a hell of a drug
@Frank Discussion: watch out for the brown Brexit. It’s really bad sh!t
I would could consider myself a centerist FGer, blue shirt, conservative pro European call it what you like. But I do have a hatred of the far right, Unionist of the Ulster variety, brexiteers and Tories bar Kenneth Clarke, I find these people bar Kenneth Clarke obnoxious and want to stifle debate like some posters here.
@Val Doyle: The rest of us would just consider you anArrrsehole of epic proportions.
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