Frank Shovlin - John McGahern: A Writing Life

Join us for the 2026 Liverpool Literary Festival Frank will be talking about his much-anticipated authorised biography of the Irish writer and novelist, John McGahern. In October Faber and Faber publish the much-anticipated authorised biography of the Irish writer and novelist, John McGahern, written by Frank Shovlin, Professor of Irish Literature at the University’s Institute of Irish Studies. Drawn from more than two decades of research into one of the great prose stylists of the twentieth century, John McGahern: A Writing Life will allow – for the first time – insight into the life of this very private writer. John McGahern was a novelist, short story writer and dramatist, and published his first novel The Barracks in 1963. His second novel The Dark was banned by the Irish Censorship Board, and he was fired from his job in a Dublin School. He went on to publish a further four novels and four collections of short stories. Frank will be talking to Dr Paddy Hoey, Senior Lecturer in Media, Culture and Communications at Liverpool John Moores University. Click here to book a festival pass. All passes will include reserved seating in the lecture theatre, plus a host of other exclusive VIP benefits. Please note, the weekend pass does not include the launch event with Roger McGough on Friday 16th October. There are a number of FREE University of Liverpool student tickets at all festival events. Students who sign up to receive their free ticket will need to add the code STUDENT26 when ordereing and show their student ID when they arrive at the venue. Add Code STUDENT26 and please bring your student ID card.. To visit the festival website and take a look at the rest of the programme please click here We are committed to maintaining your privacy and you can view our data protection policy and privacy statements online. Data protection policy Corporate Events Privacy Notice