The commencement of the Royal Belfast Academical Institute’s bi-centenary celebrations saw the coming together of two of Northern Ireland’s most renowned literary talents. An evening with Michael Longley and Frank Ormsby combined a humorous reminiscence of school days with an evocative poetry reading. As the Irish Professor of Poetry, Michael Longley delivered a speech which resonated not only with past pupils, but offered an account of Belfast which all the audience could relate to. His belief that no experience is complete without poetry marked the significance of the occasion, whilst highlighting the important role which R.B.A.I. has played in shaping some of Northern Ireland’s most prominent literary figures.
BY ROBYN MCMURRAY
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The descent of the ‘Demon Dog of American Fiction’ on the Waterfront Hall was a unique literary event. ‘An Evening with James Ellroy’, hosted by No Alibis of Botanic, saw the end of Ellroy’s tour to promote his latest novel, ‘Blood’s a Rover’. The book completes the Underworld USA trilogy, which provocatively investigates the politics of America during the presidency of J.F. Kennedy. As an author who is noted for his clipped and telegraphic style of prose, ‘Blood’s a Rover’ promises also to be a bold novel full of raw energy, as well as being Ellroy’s most personal novel since ‘The Black Dahlia’.