Browse all upcoming Irish published, Irish authored, and Irish interest books this month in First Flush—or dig into our archives all the way back to 2021
It might be the cruellest month for some, but April is full of wonderful new books, and this spring we have some beauties, including the latest historical fiction from one of the best in the field, Nuala O’Connor.
Seaborne (New Island) is an intimate and thrilling portrayal of the life of Anne Bonny, an 18th-century Irish pirate, a sensuous portrait of a young woman out of step with her time and place.
“I love how Nuala has given a full fictive life to this incredible woman, and the women she loved, showing us how ‘they cut their own paths. Knew their hearts.’ This book, like Anne’s life, is a fabulous voyage, a wonderful, buoyant tale, sublimely imagined and beautifully told.”—Donal Ryan
The Moving Land, by William Mundow (The Lilliput Press)
Beautiful things in words and pictures this month, including a gorgeous volume of documentary photography by William Mundow, with a foreword by John Banville. Here more than 50 black-and-white images of the West of Ireland from the 1960s are mirrored by the works of Irish poets chronicling the lost generations of Ireland. Themes of insularity, isolation and old age emerge from this haunting collection.
The work follows in the footsteps of the late Bill Doyle, concentrating on the art of portraiture. The images are presented in four categories, from west to east: Inishbofin Island, County Galway; Tory Island, County Donegal; Rural Ireland; and Dublin City. Topographical poems by the living and departed are scattered throughout, from Gerald Dawe to Patrick Kavanagh and Richard Murphy.
The Conversation, by Jo Burns and Emily Cooper (Doire Press)
Something artful this way comes in poetry this month, with a new publication from Doire Press. The Conversation is a collaboration between Jo Burns and Emily Cooper which imagines a conversation held between Marie-Thérèse Walter, Dora Maar and Françoise Gilot, three of Picasso’s lovers and subjects.
More often than not these figures were not named, but titled by their actions: weeping, reading, reclining. What Picasso wilfully obscured was the women behind these paintings: their lives and works, their relationships with him, their children and careers that were indelibly marked by their connection to a man considered to be one of the greatest artists of all time.
Dinosaur Pie, by Jen Wallace, illustrated by Alan O’Rourke
In children’s books this month comes another publication from the mighty Little Island Books, Dinosaur Pie by Jen Wallace. It’s illustrated by Alan O’Rourke (watch out for our upcoming interview with him) and is perfect for ages 6 and above.
When we meet him, Rory is having a weird week. After his mum serves up dinosaur pie for dinner, he finds himself transformed into a dinosaur! It’s not very funny. He can’t hold a video game controller. He keeps craving sausages. It’s a challenge to get his friends to take his embarrassing predicament seriously. He perseveres, and soon they all embark on Operation Make Rory Human Again. It turns out to be much harder than they expected, though. Will Rory be stuck as a dinosaur forever?
These books are a tiny fraction of what’s new this month, so have a browse in First Flush for all titles in every category, or have a mooch about our archives to find your April book!
