BOOKER PRIZE winning author Roddy Doyle will write an exclusive new short story in Metro Éireann from next month.
The Dublin novelist has been producing short stories for this publication for a number of years, with one collection of such tales published in the book The Deportees and Other Stories.
“The story, which I’ve started, is called ‘Old Folks’, ” says Doyle of his latest offering. “In it, a Ukrainian woman called Dariya befriends an old woman called Mrs Touhy.”
The first instalment will appear in Metro Éireann on 1 February, with further chapters at the beginning of each month.
Previous stories by Doyle have included ‘Local’, about a fictional Nigerian woman running for Fianna Fáil in the local elections, and the comedic ‘Sham’, about a woman who trains young Irish women to seem Latvian so they can marry Pakistani men and earn money.
Roddy Doyle is considered one of Ireland’s leading authors, his books renowned for their crackling wit and sharp observations of contemporary Irish life. He is the author of nine novels, a memoir, and five children’s books.
He has contributed to a variety of publications aside from Metro Éireann, including The New Yorker, McSweeney’s and several anthologies. He won the Booker Prize in 1993 for his novel Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha.
Doyle has also written the screenplays for films based on his books The Snapper and The Van, while he co-wrote the screenplay for international hit The Commitments.
In 2009, Doyle and Sean Love established a creative writing centre in Dublin called Fighting Words, which is open to students of all ages and provides free tutoring in creative writing.
