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Fiona O'Connor
wilderness
Books / 2 June 2026
2 June 2026

FIONA O’CONNOR admires an ambitious first novel that loosens South Africa’s rainbow collective to examine the racial tensions within

vigil
Books / 19 May 2026
19 May 2026

FIONA O’CONNOR casts a weary eye over a superficial and tonally complacent satire of US religious capitalism

round up
Cinema / 7 May 2026
7 May 2026

FIONA O’CONNOR and MARIA DUARTE review Romeria, Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition, Remarkably Bright Creatures, and The Sheep Detectives

barbellion
Literary prize / 5 May 2026
5 May 2026

FIONA O’CONNOR welcomes the the return of the Barbellion prize for disabled writers

Mann
Books / 3 March 2026
3 March 2026

FIONA O’CONNOR relishes a cinematic exploration of the writing, and the historical context of Thomas Mann’s WWI masterpiece, The Magic Mountain

silver
Books / 23 January 2026
23 January 2026

Despite an underwhelming finale, FIONA O CONNOR relishes a vivid exploration of the Cinecitta of Pasolini and Fellini at their height

FoC
Best of 2025 / 22 December 2025
22 December 2025

FIONA O’CONNOR picks books and films that show defiance in the face of violence and injustice

fotw
Film of the week / 20 November 2025
20 November 2025

FIONA O’CONNOR rejoices in the long-overdue exposure of the secretive, brutish hinterland of ultra-conservative Catholic Ireland

round up
Cinema / 6 November 2025
6 November 2025

MARIA DUARTE, FIONA O CONNOR and JOHN GREEN review The Choral, Belen, Dragonfly, and Colossal Wreck

unforgivable
TV review / 28 July 2025
28 July 2025

FIONA O CONNOR recommends an unflinching depiction of child sexual abuse and its aftershocks, set in a working-class Liverpool family

Elizabeth Bishop in 1964 in Petropolis were she lived for 15 years with architect Lota de Macedo Soares / Pic: Brazilian National Archives/CC
Books / 26 May 2025
26 May 2025

FIONA O'CONNOR recommends a biography that is a beautiful achievement and could stand as a manifesto for the power of subtlety in art

minds
Books / 20 May 2025
20 May 2025

FIONA O’CONNOR is fascinated by a novel written from the perspective of a neurodivergent psychology student who falls in love