Roddy Doyle joins Tom’s Book Club to talk about A Ghostly Little Book, a new collection of contemporary ghost stories from five acclaimed writers.
Ghost stories have fascinated writers for centuries, from Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Dickens to Shirley Jackson and Toni Morrison. In A Ghostly Little Book, Roddy Doyle is joined by Olga Ravn, Eliza Clark, Tom Crewe and Helen Oyeyemi, each offering a different take on what a ghost story can be — from strange and unsettling to funny, moving and genuinely frightening.
In this conversation, Roddy Doyle discusses where his story came from, what makes a great ghost story and the difference between writing a short story and a novel.
We recorded the conversation the day after the 2026 Booker Prize shortlist was announced, giving us the chance to look back at Roddy's experience as Chair of the Booker Prize judges in 2025. He talks about the experience of reading so many novels as a judge, how it changed the way he reads, and what it was like returning to the Booker Prize more than 30 years after winning it himself.
Roddy Doyle won the Booker Prize in 1993 for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha and is the author of thirteen novels, as well as books for children, plays and screenplays.
If you're interested in Roddy Doyle, A Ghostly Little Book, ghost stories, Irish literature, the Booker Prize, contemporary fiction, short stories, writing and the creative process, this episode offers an in-depth conversation with one of Ireland's most celebrated writers.
A Ghostly Little Book is out now.
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