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Ruprecht Van Doren is an overweight genius whose hobbies include very difficult maths and the Search of Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. Daniel 'Skippy' Juster is his roommate. In the grand old Dublin institution that is Seabrook College for Boys, nobody pays either of them much attention.

This is a comic masterpiece about love, art, greed and the banking crisis, from the author of Skippy Dies Workaholic. French banker Claude is so busy making money from Ireland's economic crisis he has no time for romance. Then he meets mysterious writer Paul, who says he wants to put Claude in a book. Next thing Claude knows, he's falling in love with beautiful Greek waitress, Augustina. But can an investment banker be turned into a romantic hero, even with a writer on his side? And is Paul actually on Claude's side at all? And why is Claude's new boss staking all of their money on losing propositions? Is anyone in this whole town telling the truth?

'A tragicomic triumph. You won't read a sadder, truer, funnier novel this year' Guardian 'It's a thing of beauty, a novel that will fill your heart' Observer Irresistibly funny, wise and thought-provoking, The Bee Sting is a tour de force about family, fortune, and the struggle to be a good person when the world is falling apart . . . The Barnes family is in trouble. Dickie's once-lucrative car business is going under - but rather than face the music, he's spending his days in the woods, building an apocalypse-proof bunker with a renegade handyman. His wife Imelda is selling off her jewellery on eBay while their teenage daughter Cass, formerly top of her class, seems determined to binge-drink her way to her final exams. And twelve-year-old PJ is putting the final touches to his grand plan to run away from home. Where did it all go wrong? A patch of ice on the tarmac, a casual favour to a charming stranger, a bee caught beneath a bridal veil - can a single moment of bad luck change the direction of a life? And if the story has already been written - is there still time to find a happy ending?

Winner of the Everyman Wodehouse Prize 2016A comic masterpiece about love, art, greed and the banking crisis, by the Booker Prize-shortlisted author of The Bee Sting‘Hugely entertainingly [and] read-the-whole-page-again funny . . . The best novel I have reviewed this side of the Atlantic’ ObserverMeet Claude: an investment-bank drone longing for something more meaningful. Marooned in soggy Dublin, he yearns for art, philosophy, and a steady girlfriend. You could call him a modern-day everyman – or just another lonely banker.Now meet Paul: struggling novelist, strip-club enthusiast, pioneer of not-entirely-legal internet start-ups. Paul is willing to stoop to any level in pursuit of the riches he knows he deserves. You could call him a troubled genius – or a shameless crook.Here are two men with something missing from their lives. they might just be able to help each other out of a big hole. Or their friendship might be the most disastrous thing to hit Dublin since the banking crash. As Paul’s get-rich-quick schemes blow up in his face, and the global economy goes missing in action, will Claude be able to save the day, get the girl, and finally become the hero of his own story?‘Brilliant, intricately entertaining . . . This novel’s arrival deserves a trumpeting fanfare’ Sunday Independent‘A comic classic from one of the most gifted novelists of his generation. Funny, angry and unputdownable’ Daily Express

Another unmissable comic outing from the Booker Prize-shortlisted author of The Bee StingShortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award and the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award'Hilarious, rich and satisfying' Times Literary Supplement'Arguably the funniest debut in years, An Evening of Long Goodbyes ranks with Zadie Smith's White Teeth as a stunning document of an English-speaking metropolis in flux' LA TimesThis is the story of Charles Hythloday and the heroic squandering of a family inheritance. Featuring drinking, greyhound racing, vanishing furniture, more drinking, old movies, assorted Dublin lowlife, eviction and the perils of community theatre, Paul Murray’s first novel is a tour de force of comedic writing wrapped in an honest-to-goodness tale of a man – and a family – living in denial.'Comedy of the highest calibre and a good, fast-paced yarn. An excellent read' Sunday Tribune

THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING NOVEL FROM ONE OF OUR GREATEST LIVING COMEDIC WRITERS'A tragicomic triumph. You won't read a sadder, truer, funnier novel this year' Guardian____________The Barnes family are in trouble.Until recently they ran the biggest business in town, now they’re teetering on the brink of bankruptcy – and that’s just the start of their problems. Dickie and Imelda’s marriage is hanging by a thread; straight-A student Cass is careening off the rails; PJ is hopelessly in debt to the school bully.Meanwhile the ghosts of old mistakes are rising out of the past to meet them, but everyone’s too wrapped up in the present to see the danger looming . . .____________'Generous, immersive, sharp-witted and devastating; the sort of novel that becomes a friend for life' Financial Times‘Paul Murray [is] the undisputed reigning champion of epic Irish tragicomedy’ Spectator‘An instant classic’ Washington Post‘[An] astute, remorselessly funny novel’ Daily Mirror‘A wagyu steak of a novel . . . A classic in the mode of The Corrections’ The Times____________WINNER OF THE NERO BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2023WINNER OF THE SKY ARTS AWARD FOR LITERATURE 2024WINNER OF AN POST IRISH BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2023

One of The New York Times Top 10 Books of the YearWinner of the An Post Irish Book of the Year, the Nero Gold Prize, and the Nero Book Award for FictionShortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Writers' Prize for FictionFinalist for the Kirkus Prize for Fiction One of The New Yorker's Essential ReadsOne of The Washington Post's 10 Best Books of the YearOne of TIME's 10 Best Fiction Books of the Year A Dua Lipa x Service95 Book Club Pick From the author of Skippy Dies comes Paul Murray's The Bee Sting, an irresistibly funny, wise, and thought-provoking tour de force about family, fortune, and the struggle to be a good person when the world is falling apart. The Barnes family is in trouble. Dickie's once-lucrative car business is going under--but Dickie is spending his days in the woods, building an apocalypse-proof bunker with a renegade handyman. His wife, Imelda, is selling off her jewelry on eBay and half-heartedly dodging the attention of fast-talking cattle farmer Big Mike, while their teenage daughter, Cass, formerly top of her class, seems determined to binge drink her way through her final exams. As for twelve-year-old PJ, he's on the brink of running away. If you wanted to change this story, how far back would you have to go? To the infamous bee sting that ruined Imelda's wedding day? To the car crash one year before Cass was born? All the way back to Dickie at ten years old, standing in the summer garden with his father, learning how to be a real man? The Bee Sting, Paul Murray's exuberantly entertaining new novel, is a tour de force: a portrait of postcrash Ireland, a tragicomic family saga, and a dazzling story about the struggle to be good at the end of the world.

Charles Hythloday's ambition to live the life of a country gentleman is thwarted by his sister's ne'er-to-well boyfriend and a lack of actual wealth, a situation for which Charles sets out to find himself a job and turns the mean streets of Dublin upside-down. Reprint. 10,000 first printing.

From the author of THE BEE STING, a New York Times Top 10 Best Books of the Year and shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize. The bestselling and critically acclaimed novel from Paul Murray, Skippy Dies, shortlisted for the 2010 Costa Book Awards, longlisted for the 2010 Booker Prize, and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Why does Skippy, a fourteen-year-old boy at Dublin's venerable Seabrook College, end up dead on the floor of the local doughnut shop? Could it have something to do with his friend Ruprecht Van Doren, an overweight genius who is determined to open a portal into a parallel universe using ten-dimensional string theory? Could it involve Carl, the teenage drug dealer and borderline psychotic who is Skippy's rival in love? Or could "the Automator"--the ruthless, smooth-talking headmaster intent on modernizing the school--have something to hide? Why Skippy dies and what happens next is the subject of this dazzling and uproarious novel, unraveling a mystery that links the boys of Seabrook College to their parents and teachers in ways nobody could have imagined. With a cast of characters that ranges from hip-hop-loving fourteen-year-old Eoin "MC Sexecutioner" Flynn to basketball playing midget Philip Kilfether, packed with questions and answers on everything from Ritalin, to M-theory, to bungee jumping, to the hidden meaning of the poetry of Robert Frost, Skippy Dies is a heartfelt, hilarious portrait of the pain, joy, and occasional beauty of adolescence, and a tragic depiction of a world always happy to sacrifice its weakest members. As the twenty-first century enters its teenage years, this is a breathtaking novel from a young writer who will come to define his generation.

Everyone understands collateral damage. It is the unintended damage incurred by innocent bystanders who are too close to the target area. Collateral damage is a natural consequence of physical warfare. Collateral grace is a spiritual consequence of spiritual warfare. Collateral grace is the intended impact of the grace of God on those closest to the one whom God bestows His grace. Far too many of us are completely unaware of the impact God is intending to bestow on others through the blessings He gives every one of us on a regular basis.This is a collection or real stories about real people who were caught up in real events that are recorded in both the Old and New Testaments. These people are mentioned in the Bible, but rarely by name. The historical events they are caught up in are very real. However, we have fictionalized how, realistically, the grace of God might have impacted them as a consequence of their proximity to what God was doing in the lives of someone close to them.You will be fascinated and amazed. It will open your eyes to the intended consequences on others of the impact of the grace of God in your own life.Climb into the scene and walk next to them, it will change how you read your Bible.

As well as providing a much needed perspective on Hearn's Japan years, this study offers a much more informed view of Hearn's life, times and writings than seen before.

A madcap novel of institutional folly, following the success of Paul Murray's wildly original breakout hit, Skippy DiesMeet Claude: an investment bank drone longing for something more meaningful. Marooned in soggy Dublin, he yearns for art, philosophy, and a steady girlfriend. You could call him a modern-day everyman--or just another lonely banker. Now meet Paul: struggling novelist, strip club enthusiast, pioneer of not-entirely-legal Internet start-ups. He is willing to stoop to any level in pursuit of the riches he knows he deserves. You could call him a troubled genius--or a shameless crook. Both men have something missing in their lives. They might just be able to help each other out of a big hole. Or their friendship might be the most disastrous thing to hit Dublin since the banking crisis. As Paul's get-rich-quick schemes blow up in his face and the global economy falters, will Claude be able to save the day, get the girl, and finally become the hero of his own story? Probably the funniest novel ever written about the recent financial crisis, The Mark and the Void is a stirring examination of the deceptions carried out in the names of art and commerce.

From the author of the beloved bestseller The Bee Sting, a 10th anniversary reissue of his brilliant second novel--"laugh-out-loud funny . . . A sharply intelligent satire" (The New York Times Book Review). Meet Claude: an investment bank drone longing for something more meaningful. Marooned in soggy Dublin, he yearns for art, philosophy, and a steady girlfriend. You could call him a modern-day everyman--or just another lonely banker. Now meet Paul: struggling novelist, strip club enthusiast, pioneer of not-entirely-legal Internet start-ups. He is willing to stoop to any level in pursuit of the riches he knows he deserves. You could call him a troubled genius--or a shameless crook. Both men have something missing in their lives. They might just be able to help each other out of a big hole. Or their friendship might be the most disastrous thing to hit Dublin since the banking crisis. As Paul's get-rich-quick schemes blow up in his face and the global economy falters, will Claude be able to save the day, get the girl, and finally become the hero of his own story? Probably the funniest novel ever written about the recent financial crisis, The Mark and the Void is a stirring examination of the deceptions carried out in the names of art and commerce.

These quiet, surprising, amazing poems deliver to the reader fresh contact with wisdom for life––lessons we should have known had we paused a little more and looked, things we may have known and lost track of, insights we perhaps sense and now can finally grasp with these words of Moling––of Paul Murray––sharing with us his thoughts, his prayers, his stories of struggle and grace. These poems are “the hidden lost language of the soul” revealed. Jeremy Driscoll, O.S.B. Abbot of Mount Angel Abbey Paul Murray’s poetry is always a miracle of compression and economy without ever seeming sparse or austere. These luminous meditative pieces have the richness that comes from an intent focus on the everyday and the material as carrying immeasurable grace. Rowan Williams, Former Archbishop of Canterbury The present work contains poems and meditations voiced by Paul Murray for Moling, an Irish monk and poet of the 7th century. In the Irish tradition, Moling is the figure who most resembles St Francis of Assisi. He is a man, a saint, whose presence resists linear history, who yet walks toward us in wonder and myth. In Moling in Meditation, the poems, though quiet in their form and expression, represent nevertheless a fresh and, at times, bold exploration of states of soul and psyche which, in almost every age, accompany the spiritual journey.

I Loved Jesus in the Night is one priest's compelling account of meeting with the Saint of Calcutta. Sharing anecdotes and first-hand experiences, Paul Murray offers a glimpse into why Mother Teresa could declare, in one of her letters, that if ever she were to "become a saint," she would surely be one of "darkness." This very personal yet powerful book is an attempt to come to terms with the dark night experiences endured by Mother Teresa in the light of the Gospel and the mystical teachings of St. John of the Cross. And something else as well--revelations of Mother Teresa's sense of humor "This book is easy to read and gives insights into the spiritual life and relationship with Jesus that drove this carrier of God's love to serve the poorest of the poor." --Catholic Missourian

Nowhere in the Bible does God promise an instant fix. Our culture is so insistent on immediate results. We want fast food, quick service, and instant pudding. We hate waiting in line for anything. If our smartphone is 4G, we must have 5G. Everything must be quicker and faster.It's not that God can't, won't, or never does an instant fix. "Lazarus, come forth" was an instant fix. Lazarus got up and walked out of the tomb. "Tabatha, arise," and the little girl got up off her deathbed. That was an instant fix. "Be still," and the winds and the waves instantly became calm. That's 5G speed But instant fix is not the norm in the Christian life. Instant healings are not typical, and it has nothing to do with a lack of faith. A jackpot lotto winning is seldom an excellent financial solution to your problems, and justice is rarely immediate nor swift. That is just the way things are in a broken world.The same was true for Israel. It took seven long, grueling years to conquer Canaan. Later in the book, we will see why it took so long. The norm for gaining victory over sin and becoming mature in our faith usually takes a lifetime. As someone once said, "We are all men under construction." As long as we are still above ground, God is still working on us.Israel has now conquered the promised land. There are no more threats from the various Canaanite tribes, and there is peace across the land. Finally, after generations of waiting upon God to receive the promised inheritance, the spoils of the land are about to be divided among the tribes of Judah. But with each inheritance there comes some serious responsibility. Each individual tribe was to finish the job of removing the enemy for the land they inherited.The mandate was not "live and let live" or "indenture the indigenous" or "settle for coexistence." The remnant of enemy left in the land was to be completely driven out. To fail to do that would threaten Israel's very existence in the promised land.Were they willing to finish the job? The obstacles loomed large, but God had proven His ability to move mountains. Starting strong does not win any race. The race is won when you cross the finish line. Read on and learn how to finish the race. The Fruit of Righteousness (Joshua 12-14) is the third and final part of the three-part series Pagans, Prostitutes and Other Problems: A Simple Man's Commentary on Joshua.

John's gospel is unique. What makes it unique is the author, John, and the perspective he brings to the person and character of Jesus. John was Jesus's closest friend. You might say his best friend Peter, James, and John were part of an inner circle that Jesus included exclusively. Only these three were allowed into the room when Jesus raised the synagogue officials daughter from the dead. Only these three were invited onto the mountain to witness his transfiguration experience. It was John that leaned on Jesus's breast at the Last Supper and was told who the betrayer was. And in Jesus's moment of deepest distress in the garden before his death, only these three were invited deep into the garden to pray with Jesus.But more than all that, John was the first disciple to be chosen and the only one at the very end. Only John was at the foot of the cross comforting Jesus's mother while the rest hid in fear. And it was because of John's unique relationship with Jesus that Jesus committed the care of his mother to him.John writes long after the other gospel letters had been distributed among the churches. John describes seven miracles, five unique to his gospel. John includes seven I am statements and is the only writer that uses the phrase Truly, truly to underscore the extreme importance of these statements.John writes not as a follower, and not just as an eyewitness, but as Jesus's best friend. And John writes for one single, specific purpose: That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31). To miss this is to miss the very reason for your existence on this planet