Andy and John are joined by novelist Mary Costello for a special episode recorded live at Galway International Arts Festival in Ireland on September 10th 2021. The book we're discussing is Elizabeth Costello (2003) by South-African born Nobel Laureate J.M. Coetzee, a novel that politely asks the reader to consider, amongst other matters, animal rights, the power of faith and the limits of fiction itself.

Also in this episode, new books by two Irish authors: Sally Rooney's novel Beautiful World, Where Are You and John Moriarty’s The Hut at the Edge of the Village, a collection edited by Martin Shaw and published by the Lilliput Press.

Books mentioned:

J.M. Coetzee - Elizabeth Costello; Disgrace; The Lives of Animals; The Life and Times of Michael K
Mary Costello - Academy Street; The River Capture; The China Factory
Sally Rooney - Beautiful World, Where Are You
John Moriarty - A Hut at the Edge of the Village (edited by Martin Shaw)

Other links:

J.M. Coetzee on writing in an interview from 2000
J.M. Coetzee speech at the 2003 Nobel Prize Banquet
Galway International Arts Festival ‘First Thought’ podcast