'Writing and Politics' By Fintan O'Toole

Recorded December 4, 2019. A public lecture Fintan O’Toole to mark
being awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Trinity College Dublin
About Fintan O’Toole (Litt.D.) Fintan O’ Toole is a columnist with
the Irish Times, visiting lecturer in Irish Letters at Princeton
University and former drama critic and literary adviser to the
Abbey Theatre. He is internationally respected as a drama critic, a
political and cultural commentator and public intellectual. Among
his books, his Tom Murphy: the Politics of Magic (1987 and 1994)
remains the most authoritative study of the subject. His most
recent book is Heroic Failure: Brexit and the Politics of Pain. A
striking feature of his work is the range of his interests and
informed contributions. Whether reacting to the death of Seamus
Heaney, or to the British vote to leave the European Union, O’Toole
has succeeded in voicing an immediate reaction that is thoughtful,
intelligent and penetratingly expressed. He has been fearless in
exposing weaknesses and corruption in society, and has proved a
shrewd commentator on international affairs. He has received
numerous awards, including the 2017 Orwell Prize for his political
writing in the Irish Times, the Guardian and the Observer, and was
awarded the 2017 European Press Prize as Commentator of the Year.
Learn more at: https://www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub/