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That They May Face the Rising Sun
Cillian Murphy: 'One of the greatest Irish writers’
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Brief Description
With a new foreword by Kevin Barry, McGahern's timeless (Sinéad Gleeson) novel of rural Irish life is perfect for admirers of Claire Keegan. 'I'm grateful for every sentence McGahern left in this world.' Donal Ryan When the bells rang out for Mass, the strokes trembling on...
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See moreWith a new foreword by Kevin Barry, McGahern's 'timeless' (Sinéad Gleeson) novel of rural Irish life is perfect for admirers of Claire Keegan.
With a new foreword by Kevin Barry, McGahern's 'timeless' (Sinéad Gleeson) novel of rural Irish life is perfect for admirers of Claire Keegan.
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Description
With a new foreword by Kevin Barry, McGahern's timeless (Sinéad Gleeson) novel of rural Irish life is perfect for admirers of Claire Keegan.
'I'm grateful for every sentence McGahern left in this world.' Donal Ryan
When the bells rang out for Mass, the strokes trembling on the water, they had the entire world to themselves.
Joe Ruttledge has returned to his native Ireland with his wife Kate. Leaving behind their life in London, the couple begin their new existence on a tranquil lakeside farm. Over a year, they become embedded in the rural community: entwined in the dramas of neighbours, friends and relatives, and immersed in the rhythm of the seasons, work, play, and religion. Soon, their little world becomes an Everywhere: a universe in miniature, cast in light and dark.
'Extraordinary.' Colin Walsh
'The preeminent Irish writer of his generation.' Anne Enright
'McGahern's exquisite sentences capture every nuance of elegy, regret, yearning and hope.' Andrew Michael Hurley
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780571399499
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 30 July 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Faber & Faber
Edition: Main - Re-issue
Contributors:
- Introduction by Kevin Barry
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 0g
Pages: 400
About the Author
John McGahern was born in 1934 and raised on a farm in the West of Ireland. He became a primary school teacher in Dublin but was dismissed when his novel The Dark was banned in 1965 for 'obscene' content. The author of six acclaimed novels and four story collections, McGahern was shortlisted for the 1990 Booker Prize and awarded the Irish PEN Award, the Prix Ecureuil de Littérature Etrangère and the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He died in 2006.
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Introduced by Sinéad Gleeson, John McGahern's Booker Prize-shortlisted Irish 'masterpiece' (Colm Tóibín) is essential reading for admirers of Claire Keegan. As he weakened, Moran became afraid of his daughters. Moran's life is defined by his days of glory as a guerrilla leader in the Irish War of Independence. Now, he is simply an ageing widower, eking out an existence on...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableOut 12 Jan 2027Pre-order -
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The Dark
With a new foreword by Colin Walsh, this is one of the most volatile, vital, and unsafe novels in Irish literature, banned by the censor for obscenity in 1965 - and just as explosive today. He was coming and there was nothing to do but wait and grow hard as stone and lie. Mahoney grows up in fear of his...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableOut 12 Jan 2027Pre-order -
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That They May Face the Rising Sun
That They May Face the Rising Sun, John McGahern's last novel, vividly brings to life a whole world and its people with insight, humour, and deep sympathy. Joe and Kate Ruttledge have come to Ireland from London in search of a different life. In passages of beauty and truth, the drama of a year in their lives and those of...PaperbackSold Out -
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John McGahern is widely considered to be one of Ireland's greatest writers, with admirers including John Updike, Hilary Mantel, Colm Tóibín, and John Banville. Often hailed as his greatest work, Amongst Women is a poignant novel of family and togetherness. Once an officer in the Irish War for Independence, Moran is now a widower, eking out a living on a...PaperbackSold Out
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