Tóibín Named Irish Fiction Laureate
Author Colm Tóibín has been named the new Laureate for Irish Fiction by the Arts Council of Ireland. He takes over from Sebastian Barry, and his three-year term begins this month. The Laureate position “seeks to acknowledge the contribution of fiction writers to Irish artistic and cultural life by honouring an established Irish writer of fiction, encouraging a new generation of writers, promoting Irish literature nationally and internationally and encouraging the public to engage with Irish fiction.”
Professor Kevin Rafter, one of the chairs of the Arts Council, says,
The Arts Council is very proud to award Colm Tóibín the honour of Laureate for Irish Fiction from 2022 to 2024. Colm is one of our finest writers with a recognised international reputation. His novels and short stories are not just acclaimed by critics but they are also loved by readers. I know he will bring his tremendous intellect, and endless energy and empathy, to the role of Laureate for Irish Fiction.
Tóibín will now host the Art of Reading, “a monthly book club for library book clubs across the country and offered as an online event for readers everywhere on the last Thursday of every month,” and will give an annual lecture in Galway this autumn.
For more details about the Laureate events and Colm Tóibín, see the Arts Council announcement here.
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