PRAISE FOR A GUEST AT THE FEAST "This isn''t Tóibín''s first foray into nonfiction--but it is one of his most intimate." --Sophia M. Stewart, The Millions " A Guest at the Feast is a reminder of Colm Tóibín''s power as a writer of more than just fiction.Tóibín''s cleareyed, considered critiques of powerful people and vivid personal essays can make readers long for a place they''ve never seen." --Sarah McCraw Crow, BookPage "This volume opens with his poignant journey through cancer treatment and a looming sense of mortality. A hallmark of Toíbín is his uncanny ability to deftly express the emotional undercurrent in his writing, be it loneliness, anger, or nostalgia." --Bill Kelly, Booklist "The breadth of the collection is impressive. Written with brutal clarity and flashes of humour, it encapsulates Tóibín as a whole, a master of light and shade.

" --Sarah Gilmartin, Irish Times "Throughout the collection, it is the droll, melancholy elegance of the prose that guarantees the reader''s enjoyment." --John Mullan, The Guardian "There is nothing flashy about these essays, no showing off. They are always interesting and intelligent, written in an admirably clear prose free of academic jargon. In short, this is journalism at its best." --Alan Massie, The Scotsman "Sumptous. Tóibín creates a sweeping, lyrical portrait of the small-town idiosyncrasies, natural landscapes and family histories in southeast Ireland on which his novels have drawn for three decades. But fittingly, it''s precisely the details of that provincial world that Toibin conjures up superbly here." --Robert Collins, The Times "Toibin''s voice is so powerful and distinct, his descriptions so precise, that a single thread does weave through each of these pieces and does not snap.

virtuoso. the pieces in A Guest at the Feast are a tantalizing glimpse into his full fictional powers. Time to crack open Brooklyn again." --Laura Hackett, The Sunday Times "Tóibín does something interesting with the illness memoir here: he seeks no lessons; he tries only to be good company on the page. His eyes are always alert; the guest at the feast is always watching closely." --Kevin Power, Irish Independent "Tóibín''s writing is what people these days inevitably describe as nuanced, a word that has become a kind of shorthand for expressing a person''s rare ability to understand - or to try to understand - the foibles of others." --Rachel Cooke, The Guardian "An erudite and consistently stimulating collection." --Harvey Freedenberg, BookReporter "Tóibín gathers 11 essays that showcase his versatility in this erudite collection of previously published material.

this collection places him in that same class. Tóibín''s fans will relish these sharp reflections." -- Publishers Weekly "Erudite essays from one of the world''s finest writers. A celebrated novelist offers personal essays on religion, literature, his Irish upbringing, and his cancer scare [in this] magnificent volume.Throughout, the poetry of Tóibín''s prose is as impressive as always. In [the] title piece, he writes that his mother was ''what most of us still write for: the ordinary reader, curious and intelligent and demanding, ready to be moved and changed.'' Readers like her will savor every page of this book." -- Kirkus, *starred review* PRAISE FOR COLM TÓIBÍN''S WRITING ABOUT LIFE, LITERATURE AND ART "Colm Tóibín''s intelligence is as great as his knowledge of literature and his empathetic imagination.

" --Joy Williams, Book Post "Tóibín illuminates, startles and delights." --John Preston, The Telegraph "A writer of sophisticated elegances . mesmerizing power and skill." --Richard Eder, The Boston Globe "Tóibín demonstrates wonderfully how a dedicated writer always thinks with other writers: their lives and sexuality, as well as their work. Tóibín can be engagingly mischievous and witty, but is deeply serious about books." --Ruth Padel, Financial Times "Tóibín writes with high-voltage restraint. He is tuned in to the silent language of families, the messages that are unspoken and slip past the rest of the world, landing deep into the hearts of those who understand." --Robert Sullivan, Vogue.