Irish literature follows in the tradition of world-renowned authors such as James Joyce, Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett, and contemporary writers are also creating works of international renown. But what distinguishes contemporary literature from the island nation of Ireland? What ideas, styles and settings are Irish writers preoccupied with today? What themes resonate with audiences? And does being Irish make a difference?
These and other questions will be discussed on the occasion of Irish St. Patrick's Day in a literary discussion on 18 March in the Senatssaal of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU). Guests include Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch and award-winning authors Christine Dwyer Hickey, Rónán Hession, Martin Doyle and Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin. The discussion will be moderated by Gesa Stedman, Professor of British Culture and Literature at HU, and Kate Ferguson, journalist and presenter at Deutsche Welle.
The event is jointly organised by the British Centre at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the Embassy of Ireland in Germany and Literature Ireland.
About the authors
Paul Lynch is a multi-award-winning author of five novels. His latest novel, Prophet Song, was an international bestseller and won the 2023 Booker Prize and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, among others. Lynch has received numerous literary awards, including the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year, the French Prix Libr'à Nous and the Prix des Libraires for the best foreign novel. In 2025, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Limerick and was named Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture. His fiction has been translated into over 40 languages.
Christine Dwyer Hickey is a novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her latest novel, Our London Lives (Unionsverlag 2025), was nominated for Irish Novel of the Year at the 2024 An Post Irish Book Awards. Her novel The Narrow Land was published in German by Unionsverlag in 2022. Dwyer has won several major awards, including the prestigious Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of Dwyer's works into German and other European languages.
Rónán Hession is a writer and musician. His debut novel Leonard and Hungry Paul (2019) was shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year, the An Post Irish Book Award, the British Book Award and the Dalkey Literary Prize, and longlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize. The novel was published in German in 2023 under the title Leonard und Paul and became a surprise bestseller. In 2025, it was adapted into a BBC series, starring Alex Lawther in the lead role and Julia Roberts as the narrator. Hession's latest novel, Ghost Mountain, was published by Blessing Verlag in 2024. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of his works into many languages, including German.
Martin Doyle is a book editor at The Irish Times, where he has worked since 2007. Previously, he was an editor at The Irish Post in London and also worked at The Times in London. In 2023, his autobiography Dirty Linen: The Troubles in My Own Place was published and subsequently nominated for the non-fiction prize at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2023. A collection of his interviews, A Hosting: Interviews with Irish Writers 1991-2025, will be published shortly by Lilliput Press.
Tadhg Mac Dhonnágain is a writer, musician and publisher who works mainly in the Irish language. His novel Madame Lazare was named Irish Language Book of the Year at the 2021 An Post Irish Book Awards. In 2022, Literature Ireland nominated the book for the European Union Prize for Literature, where it received a special mention. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of Madame Lazare into Serbian and Estonian, and most recently into German (Kröner Verlag, 2026).
At a glance
- What: "Writing the World, Writing the Island: Irish Writers in Conversation"
- When: Thursday, 18 March 2026, 6 to 8 p.m.
- Where: Main building of Humboldt-Universität. zu Berlin, Senatssaal, Unter den Linden 6,
10117 Berlin
The event will be held in English, but questions may also be asked in German.
Please register at events.gbz☞ Please insert an @ at this point ☜hu-berlin☞ Please insert a period at this pointde.