Paolo Giordano, the youngest novelist to win the prestigious Italian literary prize the Premio Strega. Giordano talks to TMO about his debut novel (now available in English) The Solitude of Prime Numbers...
Already tipped by many to be the novel of 2009, Lowboy by American author John Wray tells the story of a young schizophrenic fugitive. Wray, singled out by Granta as one of the most promising young American novelists talks to TMO about the novel, and the ...
Steven Galloway stridently defends his right, as a Canadian novelist, to write about the bloodiest chapter in recent European history. He discusses his best-selling novel, The Cellist of Sarajevo with TMO....
Industrialist Henry Ford famously remarked that 'history is mostly bunk', but according to Professor John Tosh, the correct use of history is an invaluable tool for policy-making decisions, citing examples as diverse as the Iraq war and Margaret Thatcher'...
Laila Lalami's debut novel Hope and other dangerous pursuits puts a human face on the issue of illegal immigration from North Africa to Europe. Without indulging in sentimentality or false optimism, Lalami has written a moving and deeply political ...
Carl Newman, of Canadian band The New Pornographers, talks to TMO about pop music, songs, and why it takes more guts to write a happy song like 'walking on sunshine' than cooler sad songs....
The massacre of 335 civilians in Rome's Fosse Ardeatine caves was one of the most brutal acts during the German occupation of Italy. What is surprising, though, is that in popular memory there is an ambiguity regarding who was to blame for the massacre. A...
The first person narrative of a troubled young Irish boy, told in M.J.Hyland's second novel Carry Me Down...
Employing diverse structures, including the seven deadly sins, dante, and the American coast-to-coast road-trip, John Haskell's debut novel has been described as 'wildly original' (by Geoff Dyer, no less) and 'remarkable'. Haskell spoke to TMO about Am...
Fifteenth Century Florence was the centre of the artistic explosion we now term the renaissance. It was also home to the relatively new profession of banking, which, for families like the Medici, created the wealth which was used to patronise the arts. En...
Good Music didn't start with Punk in 76; you don't need to be a virtuouso to come up with a melody; and just because Daniel Johnson gig hamfists the piano like he's got mittens on, doesn't mean that that's shit. Anglo-American band The Earlies decl...
Even the best writers, at times, need to waste some words to work their way into a story. Few have been as daring as American author Lydia Davis, whose stories, on occasion, have been no more than two lines. Davis, also a novelist and sought after transla...
Dr. Mary Condren's ground-breaking work The Serpent and the Goddess(1989) examined the relationships between women, religion and power in Celtic Ireland. The themes brought up, though, are as relevant today as ever. In interview with TMO, Dr Condre...
Cork City have an unofficial fan club in the most unlikeliest of places - Italy. With the thrills of Serie A at their disposal, two football fans from Bologna, tired of polemics, politics, and pettiness decided to go in search of a 'purer football'...
Science writer Charles C. Mann's latest book Ancient Americans could easily be subtitled 'everything you know about the Americas pre-Columbus is wrong!' It takes into account developments in fields such as archaeology, anthropology, geology and his...
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's latest album Howl sounds like a huge departure, veering away from feedback towards country blues, but Robert Turner, the band's bassist, explains to Three Monkeys Online how it's simply part of the ongoing process of i...
Dr. Samantha Riches discovered, almost by accident, a significant and intriguing tradition of clearly depicting St. George's dragon with a gender (usually female). In interview with Three Monkeys Online she discusses that tradition, and its possible motiv...
American band Spoon's latest album Gimme Fiction has been hailed by the critics on both sides of the Atlantic, being the sound of an band at the height of their powers. But, after talking with drummer Jim Eno, Three Monkeys suggests that Gimme F...
The Fahrenheit Twins, is the new collection of short stories by Michel Faber, author of the novels Under the Skin and The Crimson Petal and the White. In interview with Three Monkeys Online, Faber discusses the short story format, ref...
Longlisted for the Man Booker prize, The People's Act of Love is James Meek's third novel. Lauded for its language, originality, and narrative, the book has garnered acclaim from critics and fellow novelists. Meek, an accomplished journalist and wr...
Much disccusion on Turkey's accession to the EU comes from Europe looking outwards. Chris Morris, though, lived and worked in Turkey for four years as a BBC correspondent. Three Monkeys Online discusses reform, accession, freedom of speech, and political ...
Italy's Serie A is one of the world's best loved footballing championships, watched by millions. In interview, Simon Martin, author of Football and Fascism - The national game under Mussolini, outlines the fascist roots of the championship, ...
Anansi Boys is the latest novel from English writer Neil Gaiman. Gaiman, the author of the influential Sandman comic series, acclaimed novel American Gods, and a number of Film and TV scripts talks to Three Monkeys about genre hopping...
With songs dedicated to Atlantic sea shelves, or with references to the French revolutionary calendar, it should come as no surprise that British Sea Power are far from conventional. Three Monkeys Online are still dazed from their encounter with the band ...
Robert Quinn grew up in a cinema. Really. The son of a film-maker, Bob Quinn, who embarked on a mission to bring film-making to rural, gaelic speaking Ireland, Robert did in fact grow up in a Cinema which doubled as a family home. In the metaphoric sense,...
While George W. Bush and Tony Blair have consistently re-assured their electorates that all possible precautions have been taken to protect civilians in the conflict in Iraq, they have provided no data to support this. The Iraq Body Count has compiled inf...
With The Ninth Life of Louis Drax, her fifth novel, Liz Jensen seems to be getting the recognition and profile that her varied and inventive work deserves. The book is currently in the process of being turned into a film by literary director Anthon...
With the release of Burn the Maps, Irish band the Frames find themselves in a curious position. While they've released five studio albums, and have played on some of Ireland's biggest stages over the last fourteen years, outside Ireland they are vi...
Divided Kingdom, the latest novel from Rupert Thomson, presents a dystopian view of an immaginary, but current day Britain. Three Monkeys Online interviews the author Jim Crace defined as 'a risk taker'. ...
How political will Benedict XVI's Pontificate be? What will his stance be on Neo-Liberalism? Will 'pelvic politics' dominate his reign? Three Monkeys Online discuss Benedict XVI with veteran Vatican correspondent, John L. Allen jr....
Trevor Manuel, the South African Minister for finance, famously commented on the rise of global protest movements, “I know what they’re against but I have no sense of what they’re for”. Paul Kingsnorth, the one time editor of The Ecologist,...
John Dickie's Cosa Nostra is one of the first serious attempts to examine the Sicilian mafia from an Historian's perspective. In interview with Three Monkeys Online, Dickie, a senior lecturer of Italian History at the University of London, explains...
Italy on Sunday 12th and Monday 13th of June will go to the polls in a referendum to vote on four motions modifying last year's law 40/2004 on medically assisted procreation. Or rather, some Italians will go to vote, while others will heed the advice offe...
Critics rage that his books are for readers who don't read books, while his sustainers label him the king of 'minimalism'. His latest book Haunted is both a bestseller and an attempt to re-define horror. Palahniuk, in interview with Three Monkeys O...
The legal black hole that keeps 'suspects' detained by the US military in Guantánamo is not just an issue for liberals. From a pragmatic as well as moral perspective the system created in response to the September 11th attacks needs to change ...
I am Kloot frontman, Johnny Bramwell, discusses drama and songwriting with Three Monkeys Online. The Manchester band's third album, Gods and Monsters has its ambiguities, but don't tell Bramwell that it could mean anything - the interpretation isn'...
We need to talk about Kevin has deservedly placed Lionel Shriver on the shortlist for this year's Orange Prize shortlist. The American writer discusses the relationship between art and violence, feminism and publishing, and defends her decision to ...
In an interview with John Kampfner, the Political Editor of The New Statesman, and author of Blair's Wars, we discuss Tony Blair's foreign policy, his decision to go to war in Iraq, and the implications of a British general election that the...
He fronted the Afghan Whigs for fifteen years. His latest band, The Twilight Singers involve a huge range of collaborators. He plays with various bands, and released a covers album, She Loves You, which was one of the surprise gems of last year. Gr...
In 2000, in the small Tuscan town of Massa Marittima, a bizarre mural depicting a tree covered in phalluses was uncovered by restoration workers. Through close analysis of the images and symbolism, historian George Ferzoco argues that this painting tells ...
Her first novel, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, has been shortlisted for the Orange Prize, against the odds for a writer over 50. It's a page turning comedy with a dark edge and some genre breaking surprises. Marina Lewycka talks to Thre...
Lyrical, literate and outspoken, Thea Gilmore is a true independent. Her albums have won critical acclaim, and ever widening record sales. She talks to Three Monkeys Online about her songs, poetry, politics and how Nirvana qualify as 'folk'....
The Tsunami that devestated Aceh, Indonesia on the 26th of December last year has paradoxically brought the world's attention momentarily to this troubled province. We speak to MSF's James Lorenz and American Journalist William Nessen, to get a...
First time novelist, Jenny Davidson, talks about her novel Heredity, by way of cloning, 18th century literature, and the pointed mobilization of explicit sex for a larger plot purpose....
The World Trade Organisation may not be the funniest transnational administrative body, but as a target for satire, in the hands of the Yes Men, it's tragically comic. Challenging unthinking assumptions about free trade and corporate responsibility, while...
Laos has the unusual and unfortunate distinction of being the most heavily bombed, per capita, country in the world. Lacking infrastructure, and, some would say, business acumen, it's an unlikely tourist magnet. For those who make it there though, it is a...
He is the man who discovered/created the Rolling Stones. He's a record producer who's produced stars like The Stones, Donovan, Jimmy Cliff and Bobby Womack. He's the author of two volumes of autobiography that bring the reader into the heart of the Sixtie...
In an extensive interview, Jim Crace, author of titles such as Quarantine, Being Dead and Six, discusses his work to date, future novels, and how he perceives his work....
It may well be a sign of the times, that a humorist is left with the responsibility of informing the public about torture. In his book The Men who stare at goats Jon Ronson presents human portraits of some of the US Military, whose ideas have in pa...
While she won't discuss her lyrics, believing that songs should stand on their own two feet, Polly Paulusma nontheless has plenty to talk about. The Cambridge graduate talks to Three Monkeys about the inspiration for her songs, music business intrigues, a...
The publication of 100 Strokes of the Brush before Bed scandalised Italy, and (as you might imagine) topped the bestsellers list for months. Author, Melissa Panarello, talks to Three Monkeys Online about pornography, literature, sincerity, and femi...
Melodic, Heavy, Hardcore with influences ranging from Iron Maiden to Billy Joel? A contradiction in terms? From Autumn to Ashes should have contradiction tattooed on their forheads - but that's part of what makes them interesting. Front man Ben Perri in ...
Their debut album, If we can't trust the doctors, provided one of the starkest and most welcome country/americana records of recent times. Detroit band Blanche, associates of Jack White of the White Stripes, talk about nostalgia, inspiration, and J...
Three Monkeys caught Therapy? on the first date of their European Tour in support of Never Apologise. Never Explain, their new album. ...
Godhead are an interesting proposition, spanning diverse styles from Goth and Industrial through to metal. Currently recording the follow up to their succesful Evolver album, frontman Jason Miller talks about the new album, writing for film, and ha...
Her first novel Haweswater won the Commonwealth prize for a first novel, while her second, The Electric Michelangelo, was one of the shortlist titles for this year's Man Booker Prize. Sarah Hall in interview with Three Monkeys Online talks a...
David Lane, author of Berlusconi's Shadow, and long time business and finance correspondent in Italy for The Economist has spent a long time focussing on Silvio Berlusconi's rise to power, and the political culture that has allowed it. David...
Before Alex Garland's The Beach, Mark Mann wrote what remains the classic 'backpacking' novel, The Gringo Trail. A tragi-comic account of a trip through South America, blending Culture, Comedy, and Drugs....
Forget about urban legends, and mysterious stories. There is a well documented trade in body organs, flowing from south to north. Professor Nancy Scheper-Hughes, of Organs Watch, has spent a number of years uncovering the systems that profits from the sal...
The Interference, were one of Ireland's most influential bands. Skeptical? It's enough to look at the credits on their self produced album, which looks like a who's who of Irish Music. A crisis in Self Confidence and a reluctant Music industry silenced th...
While so many have framed the 'war on terror' in religious and cultural terms, Loretta Napoleoni is convinced that the analysis should be done on economic territory. Her fascinating book "Terror Inc." offers many unsettling but important insights into how...
A quick listen to Bragg's compilation of last year Must I paint you a picture will quickly show his diversity as a songwriter, musician and political activist. He talks to Three Monkeys about Englishness, songwriting, nuance, and inevitably Politic...
The Bridge of San Luis Rey, is the eagerly awaited film adaptation of Thornton Wilder's 1927 Pulitzer prize winning novel. Tony Blair quoted it in the memorial for September 11th victims, and it has taken on a new resonance, but Irish Director Mary...
Venezuela, since the arrival of President Hugo Chavez, has seen an attempted coup, a general strike, and an opposition movement violently opposed to what has been termed the "Bolivarian Revolution". On August 15th the latest strategy to oust Chavez, the r...
Professor Chet Raymo has spent a lifetime writing about science, nature, religion and wonder. In his latest book, Climbing Brandon, he examines the unique spirituality of the early Celtic Christian Church....
The author who brought us How Proust can change your life and The Consolations of Philosophy, returns with a book examining the source of a very modern anxiety - Status....
In an annual festival, the people living in the shadow of the Volcano Cotopaxi, high in the Ecuadorian Andes, offer gifts to La Mama Negra. Who is the Mama Negra? Is it a Catholic festival? Why are they spitting rocket fuel over the crowd? W...
Admired by writers as diverse as Michael Ondaajte and Alex Garland, James Hamilton-Paterson's latest novel Cooking with Fernet Branca is a comedy set in the Tuscan Hills (where the author lives). A delicious page turner, with a dark heart. Not sur...
Out of the ashes, Professor Marc H. Ellis's latest book, is subtitled the search for Jewish identity in the twenty-first century. In interview with Three Monkeys, he discusses crucial questions on the subject of the Israel/Palestine conflic...
Western Governments in 2000 signed an OECD agreement on Corporate Responsibility. Evidence emerging from the Civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo suggests that this agreement is little more than PR though. Western companies have been shown to...
A Scottish Salsa band, with trad musicians thrown into the mix, bringing a punk rock ethos and some celtic soul to the latin world. Salsa Celtica talk to Three Monkeys Online....
Joyce is forever associated with Dublin, which is as it should be, but let's not forget that he wrote much of his work in Trieste. Dr John McCourt has recently published The Years of Bloom: James Joyce in Trieste 1904-1920, re-assessing the impact ...
From its orgins in the 13th Century, through to Euro 2004, Football has always had an association with violence. Dr Peter Marsh of the Social Issues Research Centre, has studied the link between football and violence for a number of years. In interview wi...
Musically and Politically out of step in America - Firewater are making some of the best albums around at the moment. Founder member Tod A. talks to Three Monkeys Online....
In 1915, as reported at the time, the Armenian people of eastern Anatolia suffered massacres, forced evictions, and what we would now call Genocide. Eighty-nine years later, there are still countries including the US, Turkey and Israel that refuse to reco...
Like other major religions Islam is coming to terms with the reality of the web. One of the few academics to have actively studied the growing presence of Islam on the web is Professor Gary R.Bunt - Three Monkeys Online spoke with him about his research....
Highly recommended by the critics, Andrea di Robilant's first book A Venetian Affair recounts the factual story of a doomed love affair in 18th Century Venice - that of his own ancestor. ...
Globalization is far from new - International trade was arguably more developed and free in the 19th Century. Economist Professor Kevin O'Rourke talks to Three Monkeys Online...
He's written about the Amazon, South American History and Politics, Zombification, traditional drug use - the list goes on. Wade Davis, of National Geographic talks to Three Monkeys Online....
Lacuna Coil have become one of Italy's biggest musical exports of recent years. Their last album Comalies received rave reviews. In interview with Three Monkeys Online....
Award winning writer William Dalrymple discusses his novel White Mughals, Islam, Multiculturalism and History with Andrew Lawless for Three Monkeys Online....
Betrayal in Naples is the promising first novel from English writer Neil Griffiths. Andrew Lawless spoke with Griffiths about Naples, the Camorra, novel writing and blogs - for Three Monkeys Online....
It's commonplace to hear the accusation and denial that oil is the real reason behind the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq - but what are the facts? Andrew Lawless spoke to James A. Paul, executive director of the Global Policy Forum, which monitors policy...
Holy Cross is a BBC docudrama, directed by Mark Brozel, focussing on events that occured outside Holy Cross school in Northern Ireland in 2001. In interview with Three Monkeys Online magazine, Director Mark Brozel talks about the process of making the fil...
Therapy? remain one of the finest, and loudest rock bands to have come out of Ireland. Bassist Michael McKeegan talks to Three Monkeys Online about the band's history, and plans for the future....
Steerage are making waves in a Dublin scene traditionally dominated by singer/songwriter fronted bands. They play excellent, articulate, engaging tunes - without the vaguest hint of a singer....
The Dante Club is riding high in the bestselling charts in America, and also in Europe. Author Matthew Pearl discusses his work, as well as American culture, the historical novel, and the enduring popularity and relevance of Dante....
On the eve of the European release of his second album "Hello Starling". Josh Ritter spoke to ThreeMonkeys about touring, literature, the politics of protest, and Serenades! ...
Controversy has been sparked throughout Europe with the recent legislation enacted in France, which bans the wearing of the veil in state schools. Paul Silverstein PhD, an editor of the Middle East Report and Professor of Anthropology at Reed Colle...
In a wide ranging interview, Booker Prize shortlist writer Tim Parks talks about his latest novel Judge Savage, writing, football, Italy, and James Joyce....
Two years on from the introduction of the Euro, opinion remains divided. ThreeMonkeys talks to former economist at the Central Bank of Ireland and Economic Advisor to the Minister for Trade, Professor Ray Kinsella, of University College Dubl...
Hugely successful in Ireland, but little known in the world at large. Is that all about to change? ThreeMonkeys interviews Joseph Doyle of the Frames as they finish their latest album....
Helen Garner's first novel in fifteen years concerns itself with a truly universal theme - death....
Album #6 from Oasis, not counting live albums and b-side compilations. ...
A retelling of Humanity's most famous disaster story, in this debut novel from American writer David Maine....
Debut album from Scunthorpe singer-songwriter Stephen Fretwell. It's a smile free zone, but with classic tunes....
IMPAC prize winning Orhan Pamuk returns with an overtly political, but not polemical, novel dealing with the tensions below the surface in modern day Turkey....
Second Album from the California obsessed Irish band....
Alexandra Fuller's second book tells the story of a trip taken with one of the violent survivors of Rhodesia's White Army. ...
New York Film Noir, Vaudeville Rock 'n' Roll of a Friday night!...
Acoustic folk from one of Australia's most successful independent bands....
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