This year marks the 50th anniversay of The Barracks, the debut novel by Irish writer John McGahern.
I came to the book very late — I read and reviewed it in 2006, and even though I only gave it four stars at the time, I wish now that I had given it a five-star rating. The story has only grown in fondness in my memory since then. There is something about the quiet grace of the main character's acceptance of an impending death, mirrored by the grace of McGahern's lovely prose, that makes this a profoundly moving novel, one that lingers in the mind long after you've reached the final page.
To find out more, do read this lovely article celebrating the book in the Irish Times by McGahern expert Eamon Maher. (Via @IrishLitTimes)
