Karl Parkinson is an Irish author based in Dublin. He has published three collections of poetry, a novel, and a short story collection.

Writing career

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Parkinson has published three collections of poetry, Litany of the City (Wurmpress 2013)[1] and Butterflies of a Bad Summer (Salmon Poetry 2016).[2] And Sacred Symphony (Culture Matters 2020). In March 2022 Parkinson published a jointly authored collection of poetry with Dave Lordan, Back To Normal (Front Line Press). In July 2022 Front Line Press published Parkinson's first collection of short stories, The Grind.

In 2016, New Binary Press published Parkinson's debut novel, The Blocks, inspired by the author's childhood in a troubled part of inner-city Dublin.[3] The novel received considerable critical acclaim in Ireland.[4][5] Aiden O'Reilly writes in The Irish Times that "Parkinson has set himself up unashamedly and without irony as a singer of the human soul in its contrary states of degradation and exaltation".[6]

Personal

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Parkinson grew up in O'Devaney Gardens,[3] described as "one of Dublin’s most troubled and dilapidated complexes".[7] The social housing flats in the area have since been vacated and demolished.[7][8]

References

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  1. ^ Ramsell, Billy (2013). "The Sun King / Litany of the City". The Stinging Fly. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  2. ^ "Butterflies of a Bad Summer". www.salmonpoetry.com. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Flats life. Dublin author brings the blocks to book". RTE.ie. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  4. ^ O'Donovan, Conor (24 July 2016). "The Blocks by Karl Parkinson". HeadStuff. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  5. ^ O'Keeffe, Cormac (10 September 2016). "Book review: The Blocks". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  6. ^ O'Reilly, Aiden (2016). "Psalms of degradation, psalms of exaltation". The Irish Times. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Demolition of O'Devaney Gardens to be completed". The Irish Times. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  8. ^ Ryan, Órla. "PHOTOS: O'Devaney Gardens before its last flats are demolished". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 11 May 2017.