Next up for five questions is the illustrious Tadhg Hynes, our velvet-voiced Dubliner whose unwavering narratorial conviction and rhythmic timbre make him a favourite for many. Tadhg’s most recent release for Iambik is James Greer’s The Failure, “a sublime and shivery-smooth literary hat-trick-cum-emotional-gotcha.” Here’s what Tadhg’s up to:

Miette Elm: First off, what are you up to? What titles have you recently wrapped, what are you in the middle of, and how’s it going?
Tadhg Hynes: I’ve recently finished The Failure by James Greer, a quirky crime/comedy caper, very enjoyable to record and well written. Also, my first SciFi title, Open Your Eyes by Paul Jessup.  In the public domain world, I recently finished a reading of David Copperfield for Librivox.

At the moment I’m working on two titles.

The first is Daughter of Darkness by Janet Woods. Set in the 1750s it begins with a Viscount being duped into marrying the 14 year old daughter of his family’s enemy, a really nasty piece of work…….

The second is The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy. I’m really glad to have the opportunity to record this classic, a must-read for lovers of words.

What a privilege it is to record these wonderful and wide ranging books. Work (I don’t think so!)

Who Is Narrator Tadhg Hynes?

ME: Anything stand out as the funniest sentence or paragraph you’ve narrated?
TH: One of my favourite humorous lines (with more than a grain of truth in it) is this one from Far From The Madding Crowd:
It may have been observed that there is no regular path for getting
out of love as there is for getting in. Some people look upon
marriage as a short cut that way, but it has been known to fail.

ME: Care to share a memorable comment you’ve received about your voice or narration talents?
TH: I love my daughter’s reaction when I’m listening back to a chapter I’m working on. I usually listen on my iPod in the kitchen or garden and when asked where dad is her answer is “Oh, he’s out there talking to himself again”

ME: What are the world’s top 5 sounds? What are the worst?

Top.
My wife’s laughter (especially when I make her laugh).
The dawn chorus.
Once upon a time…
Dinner’s ready
“Hi Dad”

Worst.
“The end.”
The dawn chorus (I do most of my recording between 5am and 7am and in May and June it can be difficult)
A strange noise at night (I usually pretend to be asleep and let my wife check it out)
Traffic
The hum of a hard drive

ME: Of any book ever published, what’s your dream title to narrate (even if your voice wouldn’t be a good match)?
TH: I’m going to exclude all the Victorian classics. Having said that there is no contest, No Country For Old Men wins hands down. It’s one of those books that is equally as good on screen and the audio book version read by Tom Stechschulte makes me wish I was born with a Texas accent. Do yourself a favour and check it out.

Do yourself a favour and check out Tadhg’s titles for Iambik. These and all Iambik titles can be picked up with a 50% discount throughout June 2011 by entering #jiam2011 at checkout:

• The Failure by James Greer (Akashic Books), “such an unqualified success, both in conception and execution, that I have grave doubts he actually wrote it.” (says Steven Soderbergh)
• Open Your Eyes by Paul Jessup (Apex Book Company), “surrealistic space opera in the tradition of New Wave experimentalism, echoing the fantastic imagery of Samuel R. Delany and the angst-ridden identity paranoia of Philip K. Dick, all bound together in a distinctly modern vision of a post-technological future bereft of a human core.” (says Jay Lake, author of Escapement and Green)