Reflections on Violence

In his latest novel, Colm T​ó​ib​í​n ​draws on contemporary proponents of extreme violence — the Boston marathon bomber, ISIS, and a shocking ambush of Irish Protestants during the Troubles — to reimagine the story of ancient Greek murderers. Aminatta Forna’s Happiness similarly ​draws on the brutal modern wars in Bosnia, Sierra Leone, and Iraq to illuminate a character’s evolving attitude toward individuals traumatized by violence. These two outstanding lyrical authors of fiction talked to John Freeman about ​how they approach violence in their work.

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