“Declan Burke is his own genre. The Lammisters dazzles, beguiles and transcends. Virtuoso from start to finish.” – Eoin McNamee “This bourbon-smooth riot of jazz-age excess, high satire and Wodehouse flamboyance is a pitch-perfect bullseye of comic brilliance.” – Irish Independent Books of the Year 2019 “This rapid-fire novel deserves a place on any bookshelf that grants asylum to PG Wodehouse, Flann O’Brien or Kyril Bonfiglioli.” – Eoin Colfer, Guardian Best Books of the Year 2019 “The funniest book of the year.” – Sunday Independent “Declan Burke is one funny bastard. The Lammisters ... conducts a forensic analysis on the anatomy of a story.” – Liz Nugent “Burke’s exuberant prose takes centre stage … He plays with language like a jazz soloist stretching the boundaries of musical theory.” – Totally Dublin “A mega-meta smorgasbord of inventive language ... linguistic verve not just on every page but every line.Irish Times “Above all, The Lammisters gives the impression of a writer enjoying himself. And so, dear reader, should you.” – Sunday Times “A triumph of absurdity, which burlesques the literary canon from Shakespeare, Pope and Austen to Flann O’Brien … The Lammisters is very clever indeed.” – The Guardian

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Making Hay: Barclay, Bateman Hit The Festival Circuit

Nice work if you can get it, etc. - the ravishing Alex Barclay (right) and the Artist Formerly Known as Colin Bateman are the Irish representatives on the Crimewave panel (Allan Guthrie also appears) at the Guardian-sponsored Hay Festival, which runs from May 24 to June 3. It's A Crime has the truncated running list, but you can wade in up to your oxters in talking writers (lo! 'tis a paradox!) over at the official Hay Festival site. Oh, and while you're here, check out Alex's Top Ten Psychological Thrillers - she picks Jim Thompson at numero uno. Which is nice ...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, did you catch Alex Barclay's appearance on RTE's The Panel last night? Man, she is skinny enough to swab out the barrel of a .22 pistol! How's a lady that petite write about cops and crooks that are so big n' brutal?

When not holding her own against The Panel's assemblage of nutters, she revealed that she is hard at work on her third novel. This one will take a break from the characters featured in Darkhouse and The Caller. Don't worry, though, they'll be back in Novel # 4.

The experts and I agree: a most enjoyable program!

Unknown said...

Goerge Zip says...

That Barclay is a wee belterino. And there was me thinking you got to be ugly to be a writer. I thought my good looks were hampering me. I must be no good for nothin' no how.

Anonymous said...

HEY! I'm the resident good-fer-nothin' round these here parts! &: )

That Colin Murphy from The Panel is my hero. He's not only the highlight of two of the best shows RTE has ever done, he's also the author of The Feckin' Book of Irish Slang That's Great Craic for Cute Hoors and Bowsies . (No joke!) I think he was also in the film they made of Divorcing Jack though I'm usually wrong about such things.

PS Most authors are goofy-looking bastards. Thank God not all!

Rock on, Alex Barclay and rock on, The Panel!