An evening with a literary giant - John Banville talks to Kevin Curran

Its not often a literay heavy weight arrives in our town. But last night at The Millbank Theatre in Rush, County Dublin, John Banville held a captive audience in the palm his hands.

Now at the age of 80, Banville spans the last of Irish literature from the 70's, McGahern, Edna O'Brien and Kavanagh, to the present day contemporary fiction. Scholarly in appearance, Banville was dressed smartly, his terracotta coloured scarf matched his highly polished brown brogues. Introduced and hosting the talk was Kevin Curran who acted as an empathetic listener without being too starstruck or overbearing, guiding Banville through his latest release - Venitian Vespers back through his later works.

At times, his voice no more than a whisper, Banville discussed his career to date and his views on geopolitics and literature. 

Discussing art, Banville said, "All works of art are made up by their subjects," self-effacing in a genuine way, He mused on the novel as an art form. Incoherent, tasteless and vulgar was his view, yet, they "feel like life". Dismissing prizes as a trap, Banville summed up his life's work as
"When I write, I write for the woman sitting at the checkout in Marks and Spencers,"

Curran guided Banville to his Quirke books, writing under the pen name of Benjamin Black, he spoke of the 'The knowing and not knowing' world his parents and wider family in Ireland the 1950s. What misery the Catholic church had brought to the country and a moment of emotion swept over him as he talked about the industrial schools and Magdalene laundries. These horrors inspired the books and yet, Banville wants to kill off Quirke, but cannot quite do it.

Before we knew it, the hour was up and I sat like the audience in silence, knowing we had been the witness to something special. A world-weary man who still had a spark about him.

I walked home refreshed and inspired.