Michael Harding’s new book ‘a reflection on how old people get isolated in old age’

Irish Times columnist Michael Harding will make his first appearance on the Late Late Show tonight to promote his new book Hanging With the Elephant.

Mr Harding's previous release, Staring at Lakes, which chronicled his life to date, his loss of faith and his battle against depression, has been a huge seller and won the John Murray Listeners Choice Award.

The book was number one for nine weeks and top 10 for 34 weeks. It sold over 35,000 copies across the two editions in Ireland, and was chosen as the book of the year at the Bord Gais Energy Irish book Awards in 2013.

His latest book is about his 96-year-old mother Ellen who died two years ago. Mr Harding described it as a book about ageing and the loneliness that comes with extreme old age.

“It is a kind of a reflection on how old people get isolated in old age as their friends dwindle away and they have all the ordinary problems of trying to cope,” he explains. “When she died, I went through all her stuff including her diary and it was coming to know her in a way that I hadn’t while she was alive.”

The title derives from the Asian metaphor which compares the elephant to the mind. “The elephant is a very strong, unruly kind of animal. It is very hard to tie him down. The mind is like an unruly elephant.”

Mr Harding said his book will reflect on the fact that in life we sometimes have to take leaps of faith. “Do you have the courage to let go and trust?”

The writer said he is very pleased by the success of Staring At Lakes, but he has had previous success most notably with his Abbey play Una Pooka in the 1980s.

"I'm old enough not to get too overexcited about success," he said. "I'm with Brian Friel who said that success is just the postponement of failure. No matter how successful a book is, people want to know what the next thing is."

Also appearing on the Late Late Show will be the actor Tom Vaughan-Lawlor aka Nidge from Love/Hate and the controversial British columnist Katie Hopkins.