Person
Every book Colm Toibin recommended on podcasts
Key facts
- Colm Toibin has recommended or discussed 7 books on podcasts, as of May 3, 2024.
- Colm Toibin has talked about books on 1 podcast, as of May 3, 2024.
- Those books came up in 1 episode, as of May 3, 2024.
- The 3 books Colm Toibin has mentioned in the most episodes, as of May 3, 2024: Pride and Prejudice, The Golden Bowl and Ulysses.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Colm Toibin aired on May 3, 2024.
Updated
Colm Toibin’s most recommended books
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- The Golden Bowl by Henry James
- Ulysses by James Joyce
- Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
- The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
- The Trial by Franz Kafka
- The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Colm Tóibín's podcast appearances present him as a celebrated novelist, critic, and teacher who possesses an enduring passion for classic literature and the psychology of character creation. When discussing books that have profoundly shaped his life and artistic sensibilities, Tóibín strongly recommends lifelong favorites he frequently returns to, including Henry James's 'The Portrait of a Lady' and 'The Golden Bowl,' praising their masterful command of character. He similarly counts Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Mansfield Park' among his cherished personal readings, alongside Franz Kafka's 'The Trial.' Beyond personal reading lists, Tóibín draws upon these classic texts to illuminate broader literary concepts, such as the inherent artistic dangers of writing sequels. He references James Joyce's 'Ulysses,' Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice,' and Henry James's tightly constrained character dynamics in 'The Golden Bowl' to explain why continuing a definitive narrative can often undermine the original work, providing listeners with profound insights into narrative structure and literary legacy.
Books recommended by Colm Toibin
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Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a classic novel that explores themes of love, class, and marriage in 19th-century England through the spirited relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy.
Discussed“if it was a sequel to Pride and Prejudice where Mr Darcy turned out to be a complete monster”
Where to get it
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The Golden Bowl
The Golden Bowl by Henry James is a complex, late-period psychological novel that explores betrayal, marriage, and moral ambiguity among a small circle of wealthy Americans in Europe.
Discussed“so so I was looking at something like the golden Bow by Henry James for example in which there really are only four characters”
Where to get it
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Ulysses
James Joyce's landmark modernist novel Ulysses chronicles an ordinary day in the life of Leopold Bloom in Dublin, mapping human consciousness and daily existence through a revolutionary stream-of-consciousness technique.
Discussed“if it was a sequel to for example if there was a sequel to James Joyce's ulyses and was going to start another day nobody would it would ruin the first one”
Where to get it
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Mansfield Park
Mansfield Park is a classic Jane Austen novel that follows the quiet, moral upbringing of Fanny Price as she navigates the complex social hierarchies, etiquette, and romantic entanglements of her wealthy relatives' estate.
Recommended“but I also love Mansfield Park”
Where to get it
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The Portrait of a Lady
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James is a classic 1881 novel following the spirited young American heiress Isabel Archer as she navigates European society, independence, and a disastrous marriage.
Recommended“but there are books that haven't Chang for me such as po to Lady which I would have again read when I was 18 and I would have read regularly since”
Where to get it
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The Trial
Franz Kafka's renowned novel "The Trial" tells the chilling story of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is abruptly arrested on his birthday for an unspecified crime by an amorphous, incomprehensible judicial system.
Recommended“and I certainly love the trial”
Where to get it
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The Age of Innocence
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton is a classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that explores the rigid social codes, hypocrisy, and romantic dilemmas of Gilded Age New York society.
Discussed“so I was sort of working with that and working as well with you know ideas in Edith Warton say Age of Innocence in which an outside woman seems more glamorous”
Where to get it
Books Colm Toibin wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colm Toibin on His Sequel to 'Brooklyn' | The Book Review | 2024-05-03 | 10 |
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“in Nora Webster which is about really set it's the most Auto autobiographical novel of mine”
“well it's in the novel The Blackwater light ship where the guy says I haven't told my parents that I'm gay”