Marian Keyes: Voice of a Nation

Long considered one of Ireland’s best-loved writers, Marian Keyes comes to Cúirt for the very first time.
Marian Keyes’s writing captures all the complications of contemporary Ireland - shifting relationships, new ways of being a family, a changing world - recounted to you with all the warmth and joy of a knees-up with a close friend. Her novel, Grown Ups, charting the lives, challenges and secrets of the Casey family, was a tonic to many who turned to her fiction for solace and comfort in an unforeseeably challenging year. Not content with simply writing excellent books, Marian has more recently a four-week novel writing course free via social media, giving insight into her writing process and helping take away some of the fear many feel when considering writing for the first time.
Hugely generous and irrepressibly funny, Marian Keyes is a force for good in the world and in this event, we take a moment to celebrate everything she has achieved in her career so far and look ahead to what’s next.
An international bestselling author of fourteen novels including Watermelon, Rachel’s Holiday and The Break, Marian Keyes has sold over 40 million copies of her books worldwide. Her latest novel, Grown Ups, was published in February 2020.
‘Funny, tender and completely absorbing!’ - Graham Norton
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Cúirt relies on the ongoing support of our audiences and donors to bring readers and writers together, telling stories, sharing new perspectives, and celebrating writing in all its forms. If you’d like to make a donation, please visit: www.cuirt.ie/support-us
Make sure to check out the rest of the 2021 programme: www.cuirt.ie/whats-on/
Our 2021 festival bookseller is Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop. You can purchase books from all our featured writers at: charliebyrne.ie/all-books/cuirt/

[@rachelwilliams3693]

I am struggling with insomnia tonight. This interview is like a lovely chat with a good friend. Thank you for the peaceful feeling even if I am not sleeping.

[@claireevans3993]

What an interesting conversation. Marian, I thought you came across with effortless brilliance: so warm, perceptive and saying the things you wanted to say. Which meant that Ray, as interviewer, did a brilliant job in asking good questions, showing restraint and giving You time and space. Oooh! I loved it. Could have listened to the pair of you all day.
I’m 50 and have always loved reading. Strangely, I only came across you Marian last year on the One Show when you were promoting Grown Ups. I thought how lovely you were and,on top of that, you had made it to the other side of a long, crippling and fear-filled depressive episode........ Your experience gave me comfort and hope. So I started with Grown Ups. Bloody hell! I thought, this is soooo good on so many levels. What a fantastic writer and how on earth have I not come across her before. Since then I’ve read most of your stuff and pretty much loved it all. To me, your work is always good (only occasionally a little bit less so), but then often you scoot into pure genius and I’m so impressed - by the quality of your work, your storytelling and your insight into life - that the pleasure just flows through and IJUST DON’t WANT IT TO STOP
So, thank you from me for giving so much. Keep hacking away at that keyboard.

[@roisin1274]

Thanks for this conversation, I really enjoyed it.

[@birtmackinnon5553]

This lady is so impressive.