Louise Kennedy (writer)

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Louise Kennedy
Kennedy in 2023
Kennedy in 2023
OccupationWriter
Alma materQueen's University Belfast
Notable worksTrespasses
The End of the World is a Cul de Sac

Louise Kennedy (born 1966 or 1967)[1] is an Irish writer.

Early life and education

Kennedy grew up in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland,[1] and, from the age of 12, in Dublin and Kildare.[2] She worked as a chef for 30 years before joining a creative writing group at a friend's insistence.[3] She has an MA and a PhD in creative writing from Queen's University Belfast.[2]

Writing

Kennedy's early short stories appeared in publications including The Stinging Fly, The Tangerine, Banshee, Wasafiri and Ambit.[2] She was shortlisted for the 2019 and 2020 Sunday Times Short Story Awards, for "In Silhouette" and "Sparing the Heather" respectively.[4][5]

Kennedy's first novel, Trespasses (2022), was shortlisted for the 2022 (inaugural) Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize,[6] and for the 2023 Women's Prize for Fiction.[7] Kennedy has said that it is "a star-crossed love story set in a small town near Belfast in 1975, at the height of the time known as The Troubles".[1]

She published a book of short stories, The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac, in 2023. They were described by Kirkus Reviews as "set in a contemporary Ireland divided by wealth and education".[8] The Guardian's reviewer called it a "dazzling, heartbreaking debut collection",[9] and the New York Journal of Books wrote of "deep-probing, slice-of-life stories seamlessly woven in stark vignettes without a filter".[10]

She has also written for The Guardian, The Irish Times, and BBC Radio 4.[11]

Personal life

Kennedy lives in Sligo.[11]

Selected publications

  • —— (2023). Trespasses. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781526623324.
  • —— (2023). The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac (1st U.S. ed.). New York: Riverhead Books. ISBN 9780593540923.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Five minutes with Louise Kennedy". Women's Prize. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2024. in 2014 when I was 47
  2. ^ a b c Reynolds, Mark (14 April 2021). "Louise Kennedy: Marks on the ground". Bookanista. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  3. ^ Ciabattari, Jane (19 December 2023). "Louise Kennedy on Discovering Fiction's Complex Emotional Truths". Literary Hub. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  4. ^ "The Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award Shortlist Collection 2019". Audible. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  5. ^ "The Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award Shortlist Collection 2020". Audible. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  6. ^ Doyle, Martin (20 July 2022). "Louise Kennedy on Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize shortlist; Margaret Atwood at Clifden festival". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  7. ^ Shaffi, Sarah (26 April 2023). "Three debut novels compete among Women's prize for fiction shortlist". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  8. ^ "The End of the World is a Cul de Sac". Kirkus Reviews. 9 September 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  9. ^ Cook, Jude (22 April 2021). "The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac by Louise Kennedy review – a dazzling debut". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  10. ^ Fullerton, Claire. "The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac: Stories". New York Journal of Books. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Louise Kennedy". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Penguin Random House. Retrieved 24 April 2024.

Further reading

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