Presented to the Calgary Women’s Literary Club by Betty S. on March 18, 2025.

Born in Dublin in 1955, Sebastian Barry says his family was something of a disaster. His parents were architect and poet Francis Barry and Abbey Theatre and screen actor Joan O’Hara, who did not make a great success of their marriage but Mr. Barry seems pleased and surprised by the success of his. He never expected it, he says. He is married to actor and screen writer Alison Deegan and has three children.

Sebastian didn’t learn to read until he was 8 or 9 but he did read English and Latin at Trinity College Dublin. His first published works were children’s books, poetry, and plays, but it is as a novelist that he has garnered acclaim and prizes too numerous to mention, including the Costa Book of the Year Award twice and five nominations for the Booker Prize. His novels have been translated into almost 40 languages and many of those have won prizes.

Some of his boyhood experiences and the memorable lives of many of his relatives have ignited the sparks for Sebastian Barry’s works. For instance, an elderly great aunt visited years ago from the U.S.A. She and her first husband had fled the Irish Troubles years before. He turned their story into “On Canaan’s Side.” His mother’s parents are the Jack and Mai whose lives gradually go to waste in “The Temporary Gentleman.” When he and his mother were visiting Sligo when he was a boy, she pointed out a little house, saying an uncle’s wife had once lived there on her own. This woman became the elderly patient, Roseanne, in “The Secret Scripture” and the couple who sews clothing for the residents of the hospital where she lives are Sebastian’s great grandparents.

Most of Barry’s characters are profoundly affected by the events of their time: of course, the Irish Troubles, as well as the various wars of the 20th and 21st centuries. Little concerned with their Irishness are the two heart stopping and lyrical 19th century novels set in the United States: “Days Without End” and “A Thousand Moons.” The Church plays a large role in just two of the stories: “The Secret Scripture” and his most recent book, “Old God’s Time.” Read Sebastian Barry’s novels for gripping and detailed descriptions of violence and revenge, unforgettable characters, acts of selflessness, and charming bits of humour.

Written by Betty S.