For other people, see Joseph O'Connor (disambiguation).
Joseph O'Connor
Birth date20 September 1963 (age 63)
Birth placeDublin, Ireland
OccupationNovelist, journalist
NotableworksStar of the Sea (2002)
Websitejosephoconnorauthor.com
SpouseAnne-Marie Casey
RelativesSinéad O'Connor (sister)

Joseph Victor O'Connor (born 20 September 1963) is an Irish novelist. His 2002 historical novel Star of the Sea was an international number one bestseller. Before success as an author, he was a journalist with the Sunday Tribune newspaper and Esquire.[1] He is a regular contributor to RTÉ and a member of the Irish artists' association Aosdána.[2]

Early life

O'Connor is the eldest of five children and brother of singer Sinéad O'Connor. He is from the Glenageary area of south Dublin.[3][4] His parents are Sean O'Connor, a structural engineer who later turned barrister, and Marie O'Connor.

Educated at Blackrock College, O'Connor graduated from University College Dublin with an M.A. in Anglo-Irish Literature. He did post-graduate work at Oxford University and received a second M.A. from Leeds Metropolitan University's Northern School of Film and Television in screenwriting. In the late 1980s, he worked for the British Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign; his second novel, Desperadoes, drew on his experiences in revolutionary Nicaragua.[5]

Career

O'Connor's novel Cowboys and Indians (1991) was on the shortlist for the Whitbread Prize.

On 10 February 1985 his mother was killed in a car accident.[6] The mother of his character Sweeney in The Salesman (1998) died in the same manner.

In 2002, he wrote the novel Star of the Sea, which The Economist listed as one of the top books of 2003. His 2010 novel, Ghost Light is loosely based on the life of the actress Maire O'Neill, born Mary "Molly" Allgood, and her relationship with the Irish playwright John Millington Synge. It was published by Harvill Secker of London in 2010.[7]

O'Connor was a Research Fellow at the New York Public Library and Visiting Professor of Creative Writing/Writer in Residence at Baruch College, the City University of New York.[5]

In 2014, he was announced as the inaugural Frank McCourt Chair in Creative Writing at the University of Limerick, where he teaches on the MA in Creative Writing.[8]

He was a regular contributor to Drivetime, an evening news and current affairs programme on RTÉ Radio 1.[9]

O'Connor's Shadowplay, published in 2019, was shortlisted for the 2019 Costa Book Prize in the Novel category.[citation needed]

Personal life

O'Connor is married to television and film writer Anne-Marie Casey. They have two sons. He and his family have lived in London and Dublin, and occasionally resided in New York City.

Awards and honours

YearBookAwardTypeResultRef
2008Redemption FallsKerry Group Irish Fiction Award—
2009International Dublin Literary Award—
2011Ghost LightLos Angeles Times Book PrizeFiction
Walter Scott Prize—[10]
2012—Irish PEN Award—[11]
2014The Thrill of It AllBollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize—
2016International Dublin Literary Award—
2019ShadowplayCosta Book AwardsNovel
Irish Book AwardNovel[12]
2020Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award
Walter Scott Prize—
2021International Dublin Literary Award—
2023My Father's HouseIrish Book AwardNovel
2024International Dublin Literary Award—
Walter Scott Prize—
2025The Ghosts of RomeAn Post Irish Book Awards
The Last Word Listeners' Choice Award

Selected publications

  • Cowboys and Indians (1991)
  • True Believers (Short Stories)
  • Even the Olives Are Bleeding: The Life and Times of Charles Donnelly (1993)
  • Desperadoes (1993)
  • The Secret World of the Irish Male (1994)
  • The Irish Male at Home and Abroad (1996)
  • Sweet Liberty: Travels in Irish America (1996)
  • The Salesman (1998)
  • Inishowen (2000)
  • The Comedian (2000)
  • The Last of the Irish Males (2001)
  • Star of the Sea: Farewell to Old Ireland (2002)[13]
  • Redemption Falls (2007)
  • Ghost Light (2010)
  • Where Have You Been? (2012) (Short Stories)
  • The Thrill of It All (2014)
  • Shadowplay (2019)
  • My Father's House (2023)[14]
  • The Ghosts of Rome (2025)[15]

Stage plays

References

  1. ^ "Read Ireland – Featured Authors". Readireland.ie. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
  2. ^ "O'Connor one of five new Aosdána members". The Irish Times. Irish Times Trust. Archived 8 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Glenageary roots". Southcountydublin.forumforus.com. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  4. ^ Ciarán Byrne (27 February 2010). "The late Eugene Lambert – neighbour and artist from south Dublin". Irish Independent. Archived 23 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  5. ^ "About Joseph O'Connor". Josephoconnorauthor.com. 20 September 1963. Archived 13 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
  6. ^ O'Connor, Brendan (2007-06-17). "Sinead's love of her 'devil' mum". Irish Independent. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Ghost Light by Joseph O'Connor". Josephoconnorauthor.com. Archived 2 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
  8. ^ "Joseph O'Connor appointed to chair in creative writing at University of Limerick". Irish Times. 20 February 2014. Archived 22 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  9. ^ "Reasons to be cheerful: Joe O'Connor sees good in the recession". Tribune.ie. 20 July 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2010.[dead link]
  10. ^ "Walter Scott historical fiction shortlist announced". BBC News. 1 April 2011. Archived 7 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  11. ^ "O'Connor to receive Irish PEN Award". RTÉ Ten. 29 November 2011. Archived 30 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
  12. ^ "Shadowplay: Eason Novel of the Year 2019 – Winner". irishbookawards. 21 November 2019. Archived 10 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  13. ^ "Review of "Star of the Sea"". Mostlyfiction.com. Archived 12 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  14. ^ Reviews: * Craven, Peter (2023-03-10). "This dazzling book about a priest fighting Nazis will keep you reading all night". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2023-03-12. * "Review | In the gripping 'My Father's House,' a priest takes on the Nazis". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-03-12. * Mundow, Anna. "'My Father's House' Review: The Monsignor vs. The Nazis". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2023-03-12. * "My Father's House by Joseph O'Connor — rebel with a cause". Financial Times. 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2023-03-12. * Popescu, Lucy (2023-02-12). "My Father's House by Joseph O'Connor review – a literary thriller of the highest order". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2023-03-12. * "My Father's House by Joseph O'Connor: A masterful, seamless blend of fact and fiction". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  15. ^ Preston, Alex (2025-02-04). "Escaping the Nazis, With Help From a Priest and a Countess". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-02-27.