Link to the Show / Show Notes
Paul Murray is a 30-year-old Irish writer whose first novel"An Evening of Long Goodbyes"was short-listed for the Whitbread Prize in Britain and recently published in German. It is a satire on the lifestyle of a young generation in Ireland which is grappling with its newly acquired affluence. The protagonist, Charles Hythloday tries to
live by the principles of"sprezzatura", an Italian renaissance concept of grace and ease, but soon finds it difficult to pursue his aim without any reasonable income. His endeavours to find money lead to various disturbing encounters with Dublin's realities of today.
Paul Murray grew up in Dublin. He studied literature at Trinity College and then joined the famous Creative Writing Course at the University of East Anglia in Norwich where Ian McEwan was the very first graduate 30 years ago. In this week’s Inspired Minds, Paul Murray talks to Ulrike Sarkarny about the significance of this particular creative writing course and life in the one time"tiger economy"of Europe, Ireland.