Neil Jordan – The Well of Saint Nobody

The Well of Saint Nobody tells the story of renowned concert pianist William Barrow, who has retired to West Cork following the emergence of a terrible skin disease that has infected his hands and made it impossible to play. Local piano teacher Tara is struggling to make ends meet and so when she sees an advertisement for a housekeeper she applies – without realising who her employer will be. For William and Tara have met before, three times to be exact. Meetings that for Tara were life-changing but for William were so inconsequential that he has no recollection at all.

As the pair’s lives start to intersect, Tara chooses to keep her secrets hidden while filling William with tales of saints and miracles connected to the well in the grounds of his grand home. However, secrets can’t stay hidden forever, and as the water from the well starts to work its magic on William’s hands, the secrets burst into the open – changing lives forever. A fable that ruminates on themes of love, magic, and second chances.

This is the eighth novel from Neil Jordan, a celebrated director, screenwriter, and author of short stories – not to mention Academy Award winner, twice BAFTA winner and the recipient of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1996.

Neil will be interviewed by Pat Carty. They will discuss how The Well of Saint Nobody differs from his previous novels, how he approaches writing depending on the medium, where his ideas come from, and how each of his projects informs the rest.

Pat is a freelance arts journalist specialising in books and music. His work has appeared in The Business Post, The Sunday Times, The Irish Examiner, The Irish Independent, The Irish Times, Hot Press, and Classic Rock Magazine. He also contributes to several radio programmes such as RTÉ’s Arena and Newstalk’s The Hard Shoulder.

He interviewed Neil Jordan about his previous novel, The Ballad of Lord Edward and Citizen Small, in 2021. https://tinyurl.com/mr2bkt26