I Was Raised In A Very Old

If You Grow Up In Ireland And Read Books Then You Really Are Obliged To Attempt Your Own Some Time. It Is Not Exactly A Choice. I Still Don't Know If I Am A Writer. Believe Me, There Are Days When I Have My Doubts.

I Think You Know Everything At Eight. But Is Is Hidden From You, Sealed Up, In A Way You Have To Cut Yourself Open To Find.

In More Static Societies, Like Ireland, You Can Tell Where A Person Is From By Their Surname, Or Where Their Grandparents Are From.

And, In Fact, This Is The Tale That I Would Love To Write: History Is Such A Romantic Place, With Its Jarveys And Urchins And Side-buttoned Boots. If It Would Just Stay Still, I Think, And Settle Down. If It Would Just Stop Sliding Around In My Head.

I've Heard People, Usually Writers, Say That No One Wrote A Great Book After Winning The Booker, But I Honestly Did Not Feel Any Big Pressure. The Gathering Did Hang Over Me In That It Was Darker Than I Thought At The Time.