The_Secret_Scripture
2010 Longlist

The Secret Scripture

artwork-image

ABOUT
THE BOOK

Roseanne McNulty, perhaps nearing her one-hundredth birthday – no one is quite sure – faces an uncertain future, as the Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital where she’s spent the best part of her adult life prepares for closure. Over the weeks leading up to this upheaval, she talks often with her psychiatrist Dr Grene. This relationship, guarded but trusting after so many years, intensifies and complicates as Dr Grene mourns the death of his wife.

ABOUT
THE AUTHOR Sebastian
Barry

Sebastian Barry was born in Dublin. The 2018–21 Laureate for Irish Fiction, his novels have twice won the Costa Book of the Year Award, and he is a two-time winner of both the Independent Booksellers Award and the Walter Scott Prize. He had two consecutive novels shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, A Long Long Way (2005) and the top ten bestseller The Secret Scripture (2008), and he has also won the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Prize, the Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. He lives in County Wicklow. Photo Credit:Hannah Cunningham

Sebastian Barry was born in Dublin. The 2018–21 Laureate for Irish Fiction, his novels have twice won the Costa Book of the Year Award, and he is a two-time winner of both the Independent Booksellers Award and the Walter Scott Prize. He had two consecutive novels shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, A Long Long Way (2005) and the top ten bestseller The Secret Scripture (2008), and he has also won the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Prize, the Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. He lives in County Wicklow. Photo Credit:Hannah Cunningham

We're sorry, but we couldn't find any translators matching your search. Please try using different keywords or check back later as we regularly update our collection.

NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS

A tender and touching book telling the story of a long term patient in a mental hospital through her own eyes and those of her psychiatrist. An absorbing and beautifully written tale.

Description of Barry’s language as “unique” and “magnificent” are well deserved. This novel is rich with psychological understanding and a skilful conjuring of time and place.

It is moving and beautifully written.

A lyrical and thought provoking work. The Secret Scripture provides us with a glimpse into the life of a 99-year-old Roseanne Mc Nulty in northwest Ireland in the mid-twentieth century. Her history mirrors the story of Ireland and is an unforgettable story of love, power, tragedy and redemption.

Through the memoirs and writings of the lives of two very different people set against the background of the turbulent history of Ireland in the 20th Century, Mr. Barry beautifully conveys the sense of unreliability of history, both personal and national.

Secrets and truths, love and tragedy both catholic and particular, composed in language of dazzling clarity.

RELATED FEATURES

News January 15 2025

2025 Longlist Revealed

Novels by seven Irish authors are among the 71 books nominated by 83 libraries around the world!
News November 19 2024

2025 Dublin Literary Award Judges Announced

Meet our judging panel for 2025 Dublin Literary Award
Video November 1 2024

2024 Dublin Literary Award Ceremony

2024 Dublin Literary Award Ceremony announcement live-streamed from the International Literature Festival Dublin.
Audio June 11 2024

All About Books Podcast Features the 2024 Dublin Literary Award

Dublin City FM podcaster Katy Conneely spotlights the award.

STAY CONNECTED

Stay in touch and sign up to our newsletter to receive all the latest news and updates on the Dublin Literary Award.