Will William Trevor arrive? The party in the Great Room of the Shelbourne Hotel is in full swing. In musical terms, this literary movement could be described as andante ma non troppo. Edna O'Brien, John McGahern, Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill, Tom Murphy and Michael Longley can be spotted in the throng, talking to friends, fans and loved ones. But no one is sure if the man who lives in Devon will arrive. The event is to launch an RTE Radio 1 series, Reading the Future. The first programme, which sees Mike Murphy in the interviewer's chair, will be broadcast tonight at 7.02 p.m. Many of the 12 writers featured in the series turn up to witness its introduction and the accompanying book, published by Lilliput Press. The assembled guests at the soiree are also invited to view an accompanying series of black-and-white photographs, which were specially commissioned by RTE of all the writers by Patrick Redmond. Playwright Marina Carr recalls being photographed on Pullagh bog in Co Offally earlier this year. Ah, she was beautiful that day. She brought her young son, Daniel, along to the shoot. He's five months old at this stage but out of sight tonight.
Cliodhna Ni Anluain, series producer, says each of the writers was co-operative and open to being interviewed. "Like all humans, they are very happy if they are treated well and respected for what they do. That's what brought them all along." Trevor, one of the most reclusive writers, was "an extreme gentleman", she says. But Trevor doesn't show at all.
Dolores MacKenna, principal of Loreto Abbey in Dalkey, Co Dublin, and author of William Trevor, the Writer and His Work, is not surprised really. "He's a very nice man," she says. "He only makes rare appearances."