‘The Letters of John McGahern’ – Professor Frank Shovlin

Summary: Over the course of a 7 year period Professor Shovlin collected and edited the letters of John McGahern (1934-2006), one of Ireland’s most acclaimed writers of fiction. His findings were published in a major volume by Faber & Faber in September 2021. This lecture will consider the genesis of the project and focus on several examples of McGahern’s letters, and what they tell us about the man, his friendships, worldview and literary life.

 Biography : Frank Shovlin is Professor of Irish Literature in English at the Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool. A native of the west of Ireland, he was educated at University College Galway and at the University of Oxford. Author of a wide range of books and essays on various aspects of Irish writing, his most recent publication is the critically acclaimed The Letters of John McGahern (Faber, 2021).  Frank is currently writing John McGahern’s authorized biography.