Poet, novelist, playwright, screenwriter and art critic, Brian Lynch made his publishing debut in 1967 with Paul Durcan with the poetry volume Endsville: since then he has gone on to publish a further ten collections of verse, including New and Renewed – Poems 1967-2004. As a fiction writer he is the author of the novel The Winner of Sorrow (2005), based on the life of the poet William Cowper, one of the most praised books of last year. www.brianlynch.org
“[A] novel that is both original and remarkably beautifully written. The Winner of Sorrow is a triumph”
Sunday Independent
Born in Tehran, Marsha Mehran escaped the upheaval of the Iranian revolution with her family. She grew up in Argentina, where her parents operated a Middle Eastern café and she now lives in both Brooklyn and Ireland with her husband, “who is often called upon to taste her experimental cooking”. Set in the west of Ireland, her debut novel, Pomegranate Soup (2005), was widely acclaimed for, among other things, the sensuality of its descriptions and appreciation of food. www.marshamehran.com
“Few novels have such charm, such fusion. Marsha Mehran takes one of the great staples of literature, food and its creation, and makes it the vehicle of a delightful, subtle fairytale”
Frank Delaney
The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is the largest literary prize of its kind. Involving libraries from around the world, it is open to books written in any language. An initiative of Dublin City Council, the award is a partnership between the council and the productivity improvement company IMPAC, and is administered by Dublin City Libraries.
The winner of the 2006 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is Colm Toibin, the shortlist was as follows:
Chris Abani’s Graceland
Nadeem Aslam’s Maps for Lost Lovers
Ronan Bennett’s Havoc In Its Third Year
Jonathan Coe’s The Closed Circle
Jens Christian Grøndahl’s An Altered Light
Yasmina Khadra’s The Swallows of Kabul
Vyvyane Loh’s Breaking the Tongue
Colm Toibin’s The Master
Margaret Mazzantini’s Don’t Move
Thomas Wharton’s Logogryph: A Bibliography of Imaginary Books
Dublin Writers Festival Website