An Hour With Claire Keegan

“Foster puts on display an imposing array of formal beauties at the service of a deep and profound talent... She brings a thrilling synaesthetic instinct for the unexpected right word, and exhibits patient attention to life’s vast consequence and finality... a high-wire act of uncommon narrative virtuosity.” - Richard Ford

Claire Keegan is an exceptionally gifted and versatile writer, a master of the short story, and an absorbing speaker on this much-loved form and writing in general. Foster, an extended version of the story which won the 2009 Davy Byrnes Irish Writing Award, is an achingly beautiful work. Two previous award-winning collections, Antarctica and Walk the Blue Fields were published to enormous critical acclaim, and confirmed her status as one of Ireland’s greatest talents. Claire talks with Jan Cronin.