In anticipation of the film’s release, we reached out to Barry for his thoughts about the film and the story.Ĭan you tell us something about the process of how your book, The Secret Scripture, is being translated to film?Īctually I have followed the alleged practise of Ernest Hemingway and given over the book wholly to the producers, scriptwriters etc. The Ransom Center is home to Barry’s archive, which it acquired in 2001. As Roseanne delves into a personal account of her placement within the turbulence of Ireland in the 1920s and 1930s, she discovers a new understanding of herself as well as the concerned Dr. The story centers around the elderly Roseanne McNulty, a long-time resident of the Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital, who faces the difficult reality of reintegration back into the society she has long left or the possibility of transferring to a new psychiatric hospital, the decision of which is to be decided by the chief psychiatrist, Dr. It recently screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.

His 2008 novel, The Secret Scripture, is no exception to this stylistic triad.Ī film adaptation of The Secret Scripture, starring Rooney Mara, Vanessa Redgrave, and Eric Bana, is slated for a 2016 release. The mastermind behind a repertoire of over 20 published works, Barry weaves together the onward flow of modern Irish history, allusions to family folktales, and colorful characters with graceful sympathy. Dublin-born author Sebastian Barry has received high praise for his novels, poetry, and plays alike.

The secret scripture book