| Irish Nationalism book nominated
for top prize A BELFAST academic has been nominated for a prestigious
literary award for an analysis of Irish Nationalism.
Richard English’s Irish Freedom already the winner of this year’s
Ewart-Biggs Memorial prize is in the running for the Samuel Johnson Prize
for works of non-fiction published in Britain.
English, who lectures in politics at Queen’s University, said he
was delighted to be long-listed for the accolade.
Twenty authors have been nominated with the short-list for the £30,000
prize to be unveiled next week.
English believes there is common ground between books on the list.
He said: “A book by Ian Buruma on the killing of [Dutch director]
Theo Van Gogh concerns how his work offended Muslims.
“Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion discusses his lack of belief
in God, while my book examines the emergence of religious difference in
Ireland and how it affected conflict between Nationalist and Unionist.”
English, who was born in Belfast but grew up and studied in England, said
his research explored the careers of major politicians whose attitudes
evolved according to changing times. |
