Fifty-six Irish writers contributed short stories, articles and new poems to this art-inspired collection from the National Gallery of Ireland. The work includes prominent figures in contemporary Irish literature such as Colm Toiben, John Panville, Rudy Doyle, Colm McCann and Simus Henney.

Each of the writers chose a picture and used it as a starting point to explore ideas about art, love, loss, family, dreams, memory, places and privacy. Both works of art and literary responses are enormously diverse.

The works range from paintings by senior professors such as Caravaggio, Rambrandt, El Greco and Velazquez to Claude Monet, Pierre Bonard, Gabriel Mantier and Irish artists such as Jacques B Yates, John Lafry, Gerard Dillon and Paul Henry. This beautifully illustrated book was published by Janet McLean, the 1850-1950 European Art Coordinator at NGI, which was published on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Irish National Exhibition..

I want that book.