Alan McMonagle is a writer living in Galway, Ireland. He holds an MA in Writing from National University of Ireland, Galway. He has received awards for his work from the Professional Artists’ Retreat in Yaddo (New York), the Fundación Valparaiso (Spain), the Banff Centre for Creativity (Canada) and the Arts Council of Ireland.

He has published two collections of short stories, Psychotic Episodes (Arlen House, 2013) and Liar Liar (Wordsonthestreet, 2008) and contributed stories to many journals in Ireland and North America including The Valparaiso Fiction Review, Natural Bridge, Grain, Prairie Fire, The Penny Dreadful, The Stinging Fly and Crannóg.

Early in 2014, his radio play, Oscar Night, was produced and broadcast as part of RTÉ's Drama on One season. He is also a contributor to the anthology, Young Irelanders (ed. Dave Lordan, New Island, 2015).

In November 2015 he signed a two-book deal with PICADOR and his first novel, Ithaca, was published in March, 2017.

Subdued yet gleeful humour, and a great ear for the natural rhythms of speech, are the hallmarks of Alan McMonagle's short fiction. He is a writer in love with the absurd things that people say and do, and is skilled at using apt and colourful language to tell his tales. There is a happy mix of the surreal, the bleak and the odd-ball in these memorable, funny stories.

                                Nuala O’Connor, author of Miss Emily.

… deserve to be read individually and savoured.

                                                                  Irish Times

Praise for Ithaca

Flawless prose and razor dialogue … Mesmerising, unforgettable.                                                                                  Donal Ryan

It's a stunner.   

                  Edna O'Brien

Liar, Liar, short stories by Alan McMonagle

168 pp RRP €13.00  ISBN 97800955260452