About the book
A Guest at the Feast uncovers the places where politics and poetics meet, where life and fiction overlap, where one can be inside writing and also outside of it.
From the melancholy and amusement within the work of the writer John McGahern to an extraordinary essay on his own cancer diagnosis, Tóibín delineates the bleakness and strangeness of life and also its richness and its complexity. As he reveals the shades of light and dark in a Venice without tourists and the streets of Buenos Aires riddled with disappearances, we find ourselves considering law and religion in Ireland as well as the intricacies of Marilynne Robinson's fiction.
The imprint of the written word on the private self, as Tóibín himself remarks, is extraordinarily powerful. In this collection, that power is gloriously alive, illuminating history and literature, politics and power, family and the self.
'Tóibín's voice is so powerful and distinct, his descriptions so precise, that a single thread does weave through each of these pieces and does not snap . . . perhaps Ireland's greatest living male writer' Sunday Times
'An unsurprisingly erudite, gracefully written unpicking of the world' Independent
Editions of Guest at the Feast
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780241004630
Read an Excerpt
A Guest at the Feast uncovers the places where politics and poetics meet, where life and fiction overlap, where one can be inside writing and also outside of it.
From the melancholy and amusement within the work of the writer John McGahern to an extraordinary essay on his own cancer diagnosis, Tóibín delineates the bleakness and strangeness of life and also its richness and its complexity. As he reveals the shades of light and dark in a Venice without tourists and the streets of Buenos Aires riddled with disappearances, we find ourselves considering law and religion in Ireland as well as the intricacies of Marilynne Robinson's fiction.
The imprint of the written word on the private self, as Tóibín himself remarks, is extraordinarily powerful. In this collection, that power is gloriously alive, illuminating history and literature, politics and power, family and the self.
'Tóibín's voice is so powerful and distinct, his descriptions so precise, that a single thread does weave through each of these pieces and does not snap . . . perhaps Ireland's greatest living male writer' Sunday Times
'An unsurprisingly erudite, gracefully written unpicking of the world' Independent
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Guest at the Feast about?
A Guest at the Feast uncovers the places where politics and poetics meet, where life and fiction overlap, where one can be inside writing and also outside of it.
From the melancholy and amusement within the work of the writer John McGahern to an extraordinary essay on his own cancer diagnosis, Tóibín delineates the bleakness and strangeness of life and also its richness and its complexity. As he reveals the shades of light and dark in a Venice without tourists and the streets of Buenos Aires riddled with disappearances, we find ourselves considering law and religion in Ireland as well as the intricacies of Marilynne Robinson's fiction.
The imprint of the written word on the private self, as Tóibín himself remarks, is extraordinarily powerful. In this collection, that power is gloriously alive, illuminating history and literature, politics and power, family and the self.
'Tóibín's voice is so powerful and distinct, his descriptions so precise, that a single thread does weave through each of these pieces and does not snap . . . perhaps Ireland's greatest living male writer' Sunday Times
'An unsurprisingly erudite, gracefully written unpicking of the world' Independent
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Guest at the Feast?
Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Biography and non-fiction prose > Essays
Where can I read a sample of Guest at the Feast?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780241004630
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Guest at the Feast?
Colm Tóibín
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Guest at the Feast is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780241004630)
Where can I buy Guest at the Feast online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Guest at the Feast from below
Where can I buy Guest at the Feast?