The central conflict in the play is between two Irish novelists, one exceedingly popular, the other more artistic and therefore less successful.

Martin Malone is an Irish novelist and short story writer.

William "Bill" Wall (born 1955) is an Irish novelist, poet and short story writer.

James Joyce (1882-1941) was an Irish modernist avant-garde novelist and poet.

Tana French (born 1973) is an Irish novelist and theatrical actress.

Shade is a novel published in 2005 by the Irish novelist and film writer Neil Jordan.

- 1924) was an Irish novelist who wrote romances and fiction expressing Presbyterian moral values.

This is about the Irish novelist.

Michael Collins (born 1964) is an Irish novelist and international ultra-distance runner.

Mike McCormack (born 1965) is an Irish novelist and short story writer.