LIFESTYLE
The story of his mother's life inspired prizewinning Irish novelist Roddy Doyle's latest book, A Greyhound of a Girl, featuring four generations of women - one of whom is a ghost.
The story of his mother's life inspired prizewinning Irish novelist Roddy Doyle's latest book, A Greyhound of a Girl, featuring four generations of women - one of whom is a ghost.
Doyle, known for his success with both adult and children's books, won the Booker Prize in 1993 for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha and has seen several of his works turned into films, including The Snapper, about a girl who becomes pregnant but won't tell her family who the father is. In Australia for the recent Sydney Writers Festival, Doyle spoke with Reuters about how he works and his latest book.
Q: You have had success with numerous adult and children's books, how difficult it is to swing between writing for both audiences?
A: "Most working days I can be at my desk for nine hours a day. Even if I was working on a novel, which I am now, I wouldn't be able to concentrate on the novel for nine hours, so I normally try to get about a 1,000 words a day. Once I put a slight gap between what I'm working on for adults and the plots are different or not running parallel, a different type of imagination gets used or a slightly different compartment in my brain and I find it reasonably easy to switch between the two."
Q: Where did the ideas come from for your latest children's book, A Greyhound of a Girl?
A: "It's my mother's story really and it's a terribly sad story. My mother was born in 1925 and her mother died in 1928. There were no photographs of her and she could only remember her hands ...doing things like peeling an apple or turning the handle on an old gramophone...but she couldn't remember her mother's face! In her 50s she discovered a photograph of her mother and some letters and a whole maternal side of her family she didn't know and it was a lovely end to the story.
"I wanted to write something that kept pace with my daughter as she was getting older, so I made the girl a 12-year-old girl. It's about four women, Mary who is 12, her mother, grandmother and the ghost of her great grandmother who died in 1928."
Q: How has this book been received?
A: "I don't know how you measure these things, but I've got the best reviews for it. The one that really made me glow and blush a bit was a review that said the ghost in the story was the best ghost since 'the Ghost of Christmas past' - you don't get a better compliment than that. It was wonderful, really wonderful!"
Q: What has been your favourite book to write so far?
A: "'The Snapper' is my favourite for solid emotional reasons really. It was my second book and I had to think much more about it. Because I didn't know much about pregnancy and I brought in a lot more family members so it wasn't as easy to write. I started the book in late 1986 and the film was shot in 1992 and broadcast in 1993. When I started the book I hadn't met my wife, by the time the film was broadcast we had two kids, so I associate that time with 'The Snapper'. There's little stamps of my own story in it as well."
Q: Was it successful as a movie?
A: "I think The Snapper the movie, has become more popular in Ireland then 'The Commitments,' my earlier book/film. When it's on television whole families sit around in an old fashioned way and watch it. What's really lovely is that there are young people who weren't even born when the film was shot, kind of know it off by heart - it's a family tradition. My sons, who are 21 and 19, said when it was on television the last time, it was all over Facebook 'we're watching The Snapper.'"
Q: Are you writing at the moment?
A: "I'm working a novel set today in Dublin and I've finished the first draft of a children's book which I'll start editing when I get home. I'm really looking forward to that. I wrote a story for the St. Patrick's day parade last year. There were eight chapters and each chapter became a float in the parade. The invitation was a fantastic idea. You get 600,000 people watching the parade and many more on television but it's very very short so I want to write a book from the point of view of the characters in the story."
Q: Where to now? Will we continue to read works from Roddy Doyle?
A: "Well I hope so, I've no idea what the next one will be as the ideas don't exactly queue up waiting like planes at airports. Very often they begin like bubbles and announce themselves just when I'm finishing one book. Something sparks off an idea that might become a book."
Studd Muffyn Life Presents Berberine: A Natural Powerhouse Tackling India's Metabolic Health Crisis
Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson: What is the prize money for this iconic fight?
Tara Sutaria REACTS amid dating rumours with Arunoday Singh: 'To be in love…'
CEO Kunal Shah to compete with Zerodha, Groww? CRED's subsidiary applies for stock broking license
Delhi air pollution: CM Atishi announces staggered working hours for govt workers amid 'severe' AQI
CBSE Date sheet 2025 to be released at...; when and how to check class 10, 12 timetable
This is world's most expensive nail polish costs more than 3 Mercedes, it's price is...
This Indian favourite has made it to the list of "50 best bean dishes" in the world
UPPSC prelims 2024 exam date announced, examination to happen in two shifts, check details here
SA vs IND: Arshdeep Singh eyes Yuzvendra Chahal's all-time India record in T20Is
Isha Ambani stuns in Giorgio Armani suit at Tira store launch in Mumbai
Mukesh Ambani's SUPERHIT affordable packs for Jio users: Get 10 GB data for just Rs...
'We have redone...': Shraddha Kapoor's Naagin to go on floors in 2025, producer reveals new details
'Those whom no one cares for, Modi worships them': PM Modi in Bihar rally
Congress targets PM Modi's Jamui visit, asks why hasn't Bihar been granted special category status
What is GRAP Stage 3, action plan implemented in Delhi-NCR to combat air pollution?
Sri Lanka Elections 2024: President Anura Dissanayake's party wins majority in general election
Haryana govt has implemented sub classification of Scheduled Castes for job quota
New Zealand’s youngest MP performs ‘haka’, rips up copy of bill in parliament, watch viral video
Amid Champions Trophy row, India emerges top contender to host 2025 tournament if…
Amitabh Bachchan does amazing Taekwondo move on KBC 16 sets, fans wonder if he is really 82
Shillong Teer Results November 15, 2024: Check updates on winning numbers
Boxing legend Mike Tyson slaps YouTuber Jake Paul during final staredown, watch viral video
7 companies led by Mukesh Ambani, Nita Ambani's daughter Isha Ambani
Shahid Afridi's BIG appeal to BCCI amid Champions Trophy crisis, says. 'If countries once...'
Donald Trump picks anti-vaccine activist Robert F Kennedy Jr as US Health Secretary
Manipur violence: AFSPA reimposed in 6 police station areas including troubled Jiribam
Delhi Air Pollution: Delhi-NCR engulfed in thick smog, AQI in 'severe' category
Is Elon Musk buying McDonald's after Donald Trump's win? Here's what we know so far
Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson live streaming: When and where to watch much-anticipated fight
US takes immigration issue 'incredibly seriously': State Dept amid visa delays
Guru Nanak Jayanti 2024: Are banks closed or open today? Check state-wise list here
Beaver moon 2024 today: All you need to know about 2024's last supermoon
Anil Ambani's Reliance Infra posts Rs 4082 crore profit in 3 months, market cap climbs to Rs...
Meet Prerna Singh, daughter of autorickshaw driver, who cracked NEET-UG, her score was...
Meet woman, who cracked UPSC exam while doing full time job, secured AIR 3, now she is...
Viral video: Little girl wins heart with adorable dance to Janhvi Kapoor’s 'chuttamalle' song, watch
IND vs SA, 4th T20I Dream11 prediction: Fantasy cricket tips for India vs South Africa match
IND vs SA, 4th T20I: Predicted playing XIs, live streaming details, weather and pitch report
Delhi: All primary schools closed, classes shifted to online mode due to rising pollution levels
BIG trouble for Anil Ambani, criminal charges against his Rs 14422 crore company over...
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 producer calls Singham Again team 'unfair' after the box office win