Author Djamel White longlisted for Booker Prize: Is he the next great Irish writer?

The author of All Them Dogs tells Marjorie Brennan how being longlisted for the Booker Prize has been game-changing but he's trying not to get too distracted by the news

Djamel White is the youngest writer on the Booker longlist and also the only Irish representative. Picture: Conor Horgan

Djamel White could be forgiven for being distracted but he is ready and focused for our early morning chat, having already put in an hour or two at his desk, working on the follow-up to his debut novel, All Them Dogs. 

Finding the time to devote to his second book has been somewhat tricky, but for the best of reasons. All Them Dogs, set in gangland Dublin, was by any standards a successful debut, selling well and getting good reviews. Then came the game-changing news that the book had been long-listed for the prestigious Booker prize.