Search the Fresh Air Archive

Close Search

Irish Author Roddy Doyle.

Irish author Roddy Doyle, winner of the 1993 Booker Prize for his novel "Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha" (Viking). Doyle taught school in Dublin for fourteen years; during that time he wrote and self-published his first novel, "The Commitments" about a band of musicians who bring soul music to Dublin. (It was made into a popular film here). Doyle's other novels include "The Snapper" (soon to be a film) and "The Van", all fictions which take place in a rough and tumble neighborhood of Dublin, and whose slang-filled dialogue has been hailed for its authenticity.

22:37
Queue

Guest

Host

Related Topics

Other segments from the episode on December 8, 1993

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, December 8, 1993: Interview with Roddy Doyle; Interview with Avram Goldstein; Review of Sebastien Japrisot's novel "A Very Long Engagement."
Queue
15:58

Pharmacologist Dr. Avram Goldstein Discusses Addiction.

Pharmacologist Dr. Avram Goldstein. He set up some of the first methadone clinics to treat heroin addiction in California, and has a new book "Addiction: From Biology to Drug Policy" (Freeman). Goldstein argues that addictions are diseases, and must be considered a public health problem. A study released last month may back him up: 500,000 American deaths a year are attributed to cigarette, alcohol and drug use.

Interview

Transcript

Transcript currently not available.

Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

You May Also like

Queue
15:13

Dublin Author Roddy Doyle

Doyle's first book, "The Commitments," was published in 1987 and made into the hit movie of the same name, about a working-class Dublin band with soul. His inspiration for the book were the students he teaches in a north Dublin school. Doyle has continued writing about Barrytown, a mythic suburb of Dublin, and about the Rabbitte family, which has appeared in several of his novels.

Interview
Queue
52:30

Former 'Pregnant Girl' Builds Support To Help Other Teen Moms

When Nicole Lynn Lewis got pregnant in high school, she thought it might end her dream of going to college and having a career. She felt ashamed, in part because of how people regarded her as a pregnant Black teenager. Lewis, who is now in her 40s, was named a CNN Hero in 2014. Last year, she was named one of the inaugural awardees of the Black Voices for Black Justice Fund in recognition of her work addressing structural and systemic racism in America. Her new memoir is called Pregnant Girl: A Story of Teen Motherhood, College, and Creating a Better Future for Young Families.

Interview

Did you know you can create a shareable playlist?

Learn How
Advertisement

Recently on Fresh Air Available to Play on NPR

36:27

'The Great Refusal' author Casey Gerald says ruining his reputation saved his life

CASEY GERALD, author of the new book The Great Refusal: A New Vision of Resistance. It picks up where his previous book, There Will Be No Miracles Here, left off, which is a memoir that chronicled his life growing up in Oak Cliff, Dallas; attending Yale and Harvard; working at Lehman Brothers; creating a successful nonprofit; and, at the height of his success, walking away. (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW).

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

16:03

Netflix's 'SCTV' is a treasure trove of underdog humor

Tv critic DAVID BIANCULLI reviews SCTV, which is now available to stream on Netflix . “SCTV,” also known as “Second City TV,” was a low-budget sketch comedy show that originated in Canada in the mid-1970s and continued in syndication and on network and cable TV until 1984. Its cast members over the years have included John Candy, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, and Andrea Martin.

WEDNESDAY, 9 SEPT 2026

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

52:30

Rosanne Cash shares the list of music her dad, Johnny, insisted she know [REBROADCAST]

Singer and songwriter, ROSANNE CASH. When she was 18, her father Johnny Cash gave her a list of 100 essential country songs. Years later she released an album titled The List featuring 12 of those songs. (REBROADCAST FROM 2009.10.05) (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW)

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

See All Recent Segments

There are more than 22,000 Fresh Air segments.

Let us help you find exactly what you want to hear.
Just play me something
Your Queue

Would you like to make a playlist based on your queue?

Generate & Share View/Edit Your Queue