An Irishman’s Diary

The Mermaid of Black Conch author on women, race and winning Costa Book of the Year

Amina Cain’s debut novel on the art monster within is remarkable in its scope

Stephenie Meyer has retold Twilight from the vampire’s point of view. It’s a popular ploy

Iris Murdoch, Edna O’Brien, Marian Keyes and Eimear McBride all appear on the list

Eileen Battersby reviews The Long-Winded Lady, Maeve Brennan’s New Yorker sketches, as part of our extensive coverage marking today's centenary of her birth

The Irish Times literary editor was one of 82 foreigners polled by the BBC to choose the 100 best British novels. Read how he got on

From Jane Eyre’s madwoman in the attic to Captain Ahab in Moby Dick and Francie in The Butcher Boy, madness is a recurring and compelling theme in literature

‘I had to remould my brain to write “The Follow”. It involved three trips to Borneo and years of reading and studying and thinking hard about human beings and our place in the natural world’

These are some of our favourite opening lines - could you write one of your own? Post it in the comment box below. We might even find a suitable prize for the best or funniest