In-Person

Contemporary Irish Voices

Tuesday, September 30, 2025 | 12:00pm

Sep 30

Explore the vibrant landscape of contemporary Irish literature through the works of four acclaimed writers whose novels confront themes of identity, political unrest, and memory.

Discussion leader Elizabeth Warner will guide our conversations of four novels: Paul Lynch’s Prophet Song, Anna Burns’ Milkman, Colm Tóibín’s Nora Webster, and Doireann Ní Ghríofa’s hybrid text A Ghost in the Throat. Each of these books offers a distinct lens on modern Irish experience, whether through dystopian allegory, elliptical stream-of-consciousness, intimate domestic narrative, or experimental memoir. We will consider how these authors engage with Ireland’s complex historical and political legacy, and how their works push the boundaries of voice and form. Possible topics of discussion include authoritarianism and resistance, gender and silence, trauma and recovery, and the role of language in shaping personal and collective identity.

Registration required. Free to members; $50 for nonmembers for series. (After the first session on September 2, email hillary@mercantilelibrary.com to register.)