Brian Lynch

'Such exceptional talent' - Samuel Beckett.

Brian Lynch was born in Dublin in 1945.

His new novel, 'The Woman Not The Name', will be published on 30 October by the Duras Press.

It tells the story of Will Ferris, a songwriter and boxer from Cork, who has a secret past for which he has paid a heavy price. But a song he records in the back room of a Dublin pub makes him famous.

Fame brings Will admiration, sex and success, but his enemies are gathering….

Lynch's first novel, 'The Winner of Sorrow' was published in Ireland by New Island Books in 2005 and in the USA by the Dalkey Archive Press in 2009.

John Banville chose it as one of his books of the year in The Irish Times and in The Guardian described it as ‘a beautifully imagined novel based on the life and work of the 18th-century English poet William Cowper: moving, illuminating and funny.’

Nuala O Faolain described it as ‘Profoundly serious, but also warm, witty and very beautiful.’

Samuel Menashe said, ‘Never has a character in fiction been more alive to me... I wish Jane Austen could read it – in heaven of course.’

Eileen Battersby described it in The Irish Times as ‘One of the finest Irish books of recent years.’

Eamonn Sweeney, The Irish Book Review. ‘It is Lynch’s ability to travel outside himself which really makes this not just a wonderful debut but a brilliant novel full stop.'

'Arminta Wallace in The Irish Times, Rachel Andrews in The Sunday Tribune and Siobhan Hegarty in The Sunday Independent said it was ‘A wonderful book.’

Lynch wrote the script for 'Love and Rage', a feature film starring Daniel Craig and Greta Scacchi, which was directed by Cathal Black in 1998. (The DVD is available on iTunes.)

A long poem on Northern Ireland, Pity for the Wicked, was first published in the 1999 Daily Telegraph/Arvon Foundation International Poetry Competition anthology The Ring of Words and then by the Duras Press, with a preface by Conor Cruise O’Brien, in 2005. It was shortlisted for the Christopher Ewart Biggs Memorial Award in 2007.

His translation with Peter Jankowsky of 'Paul Celan: 65 Poems' was published by Raven Books, Dublin, in 1985.

His first book, Endsville, was shared with Paul Durcan and published in 1967.

On the nomination of Samuel Beckett and Michael Hartnett he was elected to Aosdána in 1985. Aosdána is an organisation set up by the Irish government 'to honour artists who have an outstanding contribution to Irish culture'.

For a full CV see his website brianlynch.org.