Geneva Literary Aid Society

The GLAS Hour – Meet the Author: Colm Tóibín (29.04.2020)

Colm Tóibín is an award-winning author. He is also a professor of the humanities at Columbia University, New York. He was born in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, the setting for several of his books. His novels include The Master, Nora Webster and The House of Names. The film adaptation of Brooklyn earned three Oscar nominations in 2015.

His latest book Mad, Bad, Dangerous to Know: The Fathers of Wilde, Yeats and Joyce, is now available in paperback and will be the main subject of our encounter with Colm on Wednesday. This is an intimate study of Irish culture, history, and literature told through the lives and work of three men – William Wilde, John Butler Yeats, and John Stanislaus Joyce – and the complicated, influential relationships they had with their complicated sons Oscar, WB and James.

How to join us

Wednesday 29 April 2020, 20:00 CEST

You can join the event by clicking the link below before the event begins. It will enable you to download and install the Zoom application, which you can also use to submit questions to the author.

https://zoom.us/j/96006086140

We will also stream the event live on our Facebook page.

Photo by Chris Boland / www.chrisboland.com

What the critics say

“There is something interesting and insightful to be found on almost every page.” – Rachel Cooke, The Guardian

“Wise and resonant.” -, Gregory Cowles, The New York Times

“This gentle, immersive book holds literary scholarship to be a heartfelt, heavenly pursuit, a route to ‘the great, unsteady archive where our souls will be held.” Thomas Mallon, Washington Post

“Largely unfamiliar to the public, Tóibín probes deep into the lives of these unusual father figures, and emerges with vivid portraits of these men who had such influence on their famous sons.”- Ronan Gerrard, The London Magazine

While we have your attention…

These are free events but we would encourage anyone who can afford it to make a donation to support street children in Darjeeling during India’s six week lockdown.

Thanks to a generous benefactor funds will be available to support the construction of additional accommodation once this crisis is over. The kids are doing well in the circumstances and the staff at the Edith Wilkins Foundation for Street Children are reaching out to 200 families of children who can no longer use the drop-in facilities or attend classes.

Edith Wilkins Foundation
IBAN: IE48 AIBK 9343 4821 4390 06
BIC: AIB KIE 2D
Account number: 21439006