Are contemporary Irish writers fixated with Ireland's past?

Journalist John Burns wrote an interesting article that was published in The Sunday Times this past weekend. Entitled "Can Irish authors turn the page?", Burns wonders if contemporary Irish writers are fixated with Ireland's past. He asks readers where are the stories about the Celtic Tiger and the years after the boom?

His questions stem from an online debate posted on Julian Gough's blog where the blogger states: "I hardly read Irish writers any more, I’ve been disappointed so often. I mean [what]are writers in their 20s and 30s doing, copying the very great John McGahern, his style, his subject matter, in the 21st century?"

Burns questions the veracity of this statement by examing Ireland's leading authors and their recent works.

To read the article in full go to: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article7043850.ece

To read Julian Gough's blog go to:
http://www.juliangough.com/journal/