Finally and at last! It’s done! And it will be coming our way this year.

The Guardian broke the news first, in their indispensable overview of forthcoming books: 2020 in Books: A Literary Calendar.

Walking With Ghosts by Gabriel Byrne (Picador)

The Irish actor writes a memoir of his childhood and being raised by devoutly Roman Catholic parents.

This new memoir is scheduled to be published in November by Picador, an imprint of Pan Macmillan.

So it seems those mornings over at the Little Cupcake Bakeshop, working on the book, with Sal serving up the coffee were a very good thing!

This is a still from the quick video of Sal and Gabriel hanging out at the Little Cupcake Bakeshop during a 2017 snowstorm, originally posted on Instagram. The video is gone now, but the shop is still there, so visit it the next time you are in NoLita, NY! heart

A souvenir from my May 2016 trip to NYC to meet Gabriel
Gabriel and Sal at the Bakeshop on my birthday in 2016! Wish I’d been there.

To get into the proper mood for Gabriel’s new book, be sure to read or, even better, listen to him read his first book, Pictures In My Head. He captures growing up in Ireland, becoming a young adult, teaching, and then becoming an actor and all the adventures involved with that amazing vocation. His tone is sometimes wistful, sometimes wickedly astute. It’s a great book and worth reading. Call it homework. It will be the most fun homework you’ve ever had.

Also, we celebrated the holidays this year with an excerpt from Gabriel’s first memoir: the chapter entitled Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.

In the first section of his autobiography, published in 1994, Gabriel offered a snapshot of life in Ireland as a child and a young man. The chapter below is a vibrant and incisive look at a particular Christmas Eve in Dublin when he was in college. He captures the language, the spirit, and the place beautifully.

Read this posting to get a sense of Gabriel’s writing style, his use of colloquialisms, and his unique descriptive power.

Stay tuned for a book cover, possible news about book signings (you never know), previews, and any other news I can find about Gabriel’s new book. This is so exciting and I know we are all so happy for him, too! heart

PS. The Guardian article, 2020 in Books: A Literary Calendar, is actually a monthly calendar of literary events, awards, and planned releases of new titles. It is a great resource, so take a look. You’ll be updating your TBR* list in a flash!

*TBR = To Be Read. smile

And if you are ever on Prince Street in Nolita, in New York City, stop by the Little Cupcake Bakeshop and say hi to Sal for me!

8 Comments

  1. Wow!
    Wonderful news about Gabriels new book.
    He is such a talented writer and he has lived a very special life. First a difficult childhood because of the church. And later he has worked as an incredible talented actor and culture personality.

    I am so happy about this book!

    Thank you so much for sharing Stella!

    • You are welcome, Nora! I am so excited and I know you are, too. What a journey he has been on all these years. I can’t wait to read what he has to say now. <3

  2. This sounds like a great read. Thanks Stella for being on top of things again!! Can’t wait! ❤

    • I’m so excited I could run up my mountain and back again! Ok. Maybe not. But I’m pretty excited! He has so much to say and he has such a unique style. I can’t wait to read his new stories. <3

  3. Gabriel’s first book was so unique and special, especially the chapters of his early life and family, a window into a bygone era. I’m so glad he has written this new book of essays. His writing style is memorable – you can almost hear and feel the sights and sounds, the chit chat, the love… in his words. I am really looking forward to it. It’s been a long time since the first publication in the nineties. I am happy for him and will recommend his book to my public library so many more can appreciate it.

    • From his first book, I chose the chapter about Christmas to help us celebrate the holidays this year. He captures the time and place so effortlessly, and yet you know it takes so much skill to recreate the past like that. I sound rather chirpy in this posting about his new book, but I can’t help it! I’m just so excited. Can’t wait to read it. Thanks for your thoughtful comments, as always, Angelle–and I love that you will recommend this for your library! <3

      • Stella, I never recommended books or films before Byrneholics. It is thanks to your sage advice as a librarian that I have suggested many acquisitions since 2010 . Sadly, Mr. Byrne’s first book is no longer available at our library. It was well-worn and loved by many over the last 25 years so they retired it a couple of years ago. Perhaps I can convince them to re-order it when the next one is published.

        • Well, what a nice thing to say! Thanks! <3

          And the release of the new book could cause a re-issue of the previous one, so let's cross our fingers!

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