Brendan John Sweeney

Raised in Ireland, Brendan Sweeney first fictional work Once In Another World was inspired by his abiding interest in myth, nationalism and the roots of political violence.

Irish Times Review by Mary Feely: Fed up with life in austerity Ireland? Try this historical thriller to see how you’d fancy life here in 1937. In his debut novel, Sweeney, now based in Denmark, evokes a time of stifling claustrophobia. The people are cowed conformists, a flash motor draws begrudging attention and an affectionate uncle daren’t let his nephew and a young woman stay overnight without permission from the local priest. Even the hero, Holland, an IRA member with notions of himself as a rebel, is motivated less by idealism and more by that eternal Irish sulk: he was done out of land. Holland’s job for a mysterious foreign financier brings him together with Sabine, a tough German Jewish refugee who challenges his assumptions. In a fascinating exchange, Sabine asks Holland why he fights his own country. Holland waffles, but has suffered no personal persecution – unlike Sabine. This book is a blend of mystery, love story and thriller complete with killings, pursuit and betrayal. Yet it’s written with a literary sensibility, with lovely descriptions of the author’s native Cavan.