Dublin Literary Award 2025
Dublin Literary Award 2025 shortlist in DCU Library
The Dublin Literary Award is close to our hearts as it is administered by Dublin City Libraries and nominations are submitted by libraries all over the world. At €100,000 it is the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English. If the book is a translation, the book's author will receive €75,000 and the translator will receive €25,000.
The shortlisted titles are available to borrow from DCU Library. The print editions of the titles can be found on display shelves by the stairs on the ground floor of both Cregan Library and O'Reilly Library. Two of the six titles are also available as ebooks.
Read more about each title below and click on the link under each title description to check its availability in DCU Library. You will get the option to reserve the book in Library Search if all print copies are out on loan. Prophet Song and We Are Light are also available as ebooks, to learn more watch our video about how to find and access ebooks.
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North Woods by Daniel Mason
Mason's novel traces the history of a house in the woods of Massachusetts through a series of linked short stories. Love, rivalry, tragedy and the supernatural are explored in narratives that span the 17th century to the modern day. As this Irish Times review states, "The depth, the culture, the complex beauty, as well as the dark side, of New England are marvellously captured in this enchanting book."
Check availability in Cregan Library and O'Reilly Library
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James by Percival Everett
James is a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view. While many of the central events of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.
Check availability in Cregan Library and O'Reilly Library
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Not a River by Selva Almada
Set in Argentina, this novel involves many characters and intertwining themes. Two friends leave town to go on a fishing trip with a young man, Tilo. Tilo is the son of their old friend who died in uncertain circumstances in the same place, on another outing 20 years earlier. The narrative moves back and forth, especially as the book moves towards its conclusion. Nature is evocatively described in the novel, giving lustre to its tragic themes.
Check availability in Cregan Library and O'Reilly Library
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We Are Light by Gerda Blees
This novel follows the criminal investigation into how Elisabeth, a member of the “Sound and Love” commune, came to die. The story deals with issues such as anorexia, anti-science theorists and coercion within groups driven by questionable ideologies. Interestingly, the story is told by various people, objects and phenomena involved in the story and is inspired by a real-life event.
Check availability in Cregan Library and O'Reilly Library or as an ebook
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Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
This Booker Prize winning novel follows Eilish Stack and the tragic fates of her family members as Ireland slides into totalitarianism. When her husband is taken away by two officers from Ireland’s newly formed secret police Eilish finds herself caught within the nightmare logic of a society that is quickly unravelling. Soon, she must decide just how far she is willing to go to keep her family safe.
Check availability in Cregan Library and O'Reilly Library or as an ebook
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The Adversary by Michael Crummey
Set in a fishing village on Newfoundland this novel focuses on a feud between the despotic Abe Strapp and his sister, The Widow Caines. Graphic horror, violence and cruelty abound in this shocking but compelling story. The Irish Times likens it to a horror novel or video for children, though written for adult readers, with 'darkly delicious' language.
Check availability in Cregan Library and O'Reilly Library