The Dublin: One City, One Book choice for April 2011 is Ghost Light by Joseph O’Connor.
The chosen title will be supported by a wide range of public events and celebrations next April. Previous One City, One Book novels have been Flann O’Briens’s At Swim Two Birds, Sebastian Barry’s A Long, Long Way, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.
O’Connor’s novel, which was published by Harvill Secker in June 2010, is loosely based on the love affair between the great Irish playwright John Millington Synge and the Abbey Theatre actress Molly Allgood. The novel received rave reviews at home and internationally, and was a no.1 bestseller in Ireland for nine weeks. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham called it “A rare and wonderful book”. It has been sold for translation in 16 languages. A special paperback edition has been published under the Vintage imprint for Dublin: One City One Book.
For Ghost Light, the celebrations in April 2011 will include:
- A month of public events, readings and music, at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin.
- Performances and readings of plays by John Synge and his circle.
- Exhibitions, extravaganzas, happenings, walks, talks, train rides, art shows, films etc.
- Short story competition
- A series of unique events titled SYNGE FOR YOUR SUPPER, in which any Dublin resident can invite Joseph O’Connor to come and give a reading in her/his home, workplace, back yard, school, college – any venue imaginable. Eight lucky readers will be selected by lot. Whether reading to two people in a bedsit or to 100 people on the morning bus-ride, this is an exciting new way for people to take ownership of Dublin: One City One Book.
- Drama workshops
Visit Dublin: One City One Book for details of all events.
Dublin: One City, One Book is a Dublin City Council initiative led by Dublin City Libraries and kindly supported by Dublin Tourism, Dublin City Business Improvement District, The Irish Times and Penguin Books.
Why not talk about Ghost Light at www.dublinonecityonebook.ie!
