Sarah Dunant is the author of two multi-faceted and complex books of historical fiction, both set in Renaissance Italy - 2004's enchanting The Birth of Venus and the recent In the Company of the Courtesan. She recently answered some questions about blending fact and fiction, research and courtesan culture for our Historian.
Anthony Capella has written two novels set in Italy. The first, a bestseller called The Food of Love, was an Italian-food laden modern-day reworking of the Cyrano de Bergerac story. His new novel, The Wedding Officer, is set in Naples in 1944. It is a shade darker than The Food of Love but still showcases Anthony's knowledge of and interest in the regional food of Italy. He was recently in Dublin and kindly took the time to answer a few questions from the Historian.
The Night Watch is Sarah Water's fourth novel. Her third, Fingersmith, was shortlisted for both the Orange Prize and the Man Booker Prize in 2002. In 2003 Sarah was named Author of the Year at the 2003 British Book Awards. She was in Dublin recently to promote her new book and kindly took some time to answer our Techie's questions.
Carol Birch's latest book, The Naming of Eliza Quinn, is a tale of family feuds and long-buried secrets dating back to the time of the Irish Famine. Birch talked to our Techie about the research she did in order to depict this terrible time in Irish history.
Kathy Reichs burst onto the fiction scene in the late 1990s with her first novel, Déjà Dead, a thriller rooted in an expert knowledge of science and medicine and powered by a strong female protagonist, Temperance Brennan. Since then Reichs has written eight Temperance Brennan novels and has frequently featured at the top of bestseller lists worldwide. She kindly took some time out to answer our Techie's questions.
Shanghai Baby, Wei Hui's frank account of Chinese youth, sexuality and a love of popular culture ensured it was banned in her native China. She returns, unrepentant as ever with a follow-up, Marrying Buddha, and spoke to the DJ on a recent visit to Dublin.
Mitch Albom, the author of bestsellers Tuesday With Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, was in Dublin recently. He kindly took some time to talk to the Techie about the impact that his books have had on his life and the lives of others.
John Banville is a master of language and story-telling. He considers himself "a post-humanist, not post-colonial" writer and is the author of several award-winning novels. His new book, 'The Sea', echoes his 1989 masterpiece, 'The Book of Evidence'. The DJ interviewed him in Dublin recently.
Best known for his novel The Ice Storm, Rick Moody is a quintessential chronicler of Middle America. From the book's politics and wife-swapping, he moved on to his own alcohol abuse and searching for his ancestral connection to a Nathaniel Hawthorne character. He tells the DJ about why his memoir The Black Veil is more of a European novel and why he is obsessed with Joyce and Beckett.
