Irish · b. 1955
Patrick McCabe writes about small-town Ireland as Gothic nightmare. "The Butcher Boy" (1992), shortlisted for the Booker Prize, follows a disturbed boy through violence and fantasy in 1960s Ireland. "Breakfast on Pluto" (1998) was also shortlisted—a transgender woman survives the Troubles with style and wit. McCabe's voice is manic and distinctive; his Ireland is claustrophobic and strange.