Christopher Nolan (6 September 1965 – 20 February 2009) was an Irish poet and author.
He was born in
Mullingar
Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census.
The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeat ...
, Ireland, but later moved to
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
. He was educated at the Central Remedial Clinic School,
Mount Temple Comprehensive School
Mount Temple Comprehensive School is a secondary school in Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland. The school operates under the patronage of the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, and has, as a primary objective, the provision of state-funded second-le ...
and at
Trinity College, Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
. His first book was published when he was fifteen. He won the
Whitbread Book Award
The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...
for his autobiography in 1987. He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters in the UK, the medal of excellence from the United Nations Society of Writers, and a Person of the Year award in Ireland.
Because of his
cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...
, he experienced
quadriplegia since birth. He died due to
choking
Choking, also known as foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO), is a phenomenon that occurs when breathing is impeded by a blockage inside of the respiratory tract. An obstruction that prevents oxygen from entering the lungs results in oxygen de ...
on 20 February 2009.
Biography
Early life
Christopher Nolan was born to parents Joseph and Bernadette Nolan. He grew up in
Mullingar
Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census.
The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeat ...
, Ireland. Due to
asphyxiation
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can i ...
at birth, Christopher was born with permanent impairment of his "nerve-signaling system, a condition he said is now labelled
dystonia
Dystonia is a neurological hyperkinetic movement disorder in which sustained or repetitive muscle contractions result in twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal fixed postures. The movements may resemble a tremor. Dystonia is often inten ...
."
Because of these complications, Nolan was born with
cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...
, and could only move his head and eyes. At the beginning of his life people believed he was intellectually disabled, but his mother proved them wrong. Bernadette brought her son to see Dr. Ciaran Barry. He was a consultant of physical medicine and rheumatology who possessed a particular interest in children with cerebral Palsy. Dr. Barry was attached to the Central Remedial Clinic. He played games with Christopher, the toddler, and in so doing noted the child anticipated his actions and informed his mother that he was of sound mind.
Due to the severity of the palsy, he used a wheelchair. In an interview, his father explained how, at the age of 10, he was placed on medication by Dr. Barry that "relaxed him so he could use a pointer attached to his head to type."
To write, Nolan used a special computer and keyboard; in order to help him type, his mother held his head in her cupped hands while Christopher painstakingly picked out each word, letter by letter, with a pointer attached to his forehead.
He communicated with others by moving his eyes, using a signal system. When he was young, his father told him stories and read passages from
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
,
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...
and
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...
to keep his mind stimulated. His mother strung up letters of the alphabet in the kitchen, where she kept up a stream of conversation. His sister, Yvonne, sang songs and acted out skits.
His mother stated that "he wrote extensively since the age of 11 and went on to write many poems, short stories and two plays, many of which were published." Many of the writings described here by Nolan's mother were compiled for his first publication, the
chapbook
A chapbook is a small publication of up to about 40 pages, sometimes bound with a saddle stitch.
In early modern Europe a chapbook was a type of printed street literature. Produced cheaply, chapbooks were commonly small, paper-covered bookle ...
Dam-Burst of Dreams.
Mature work
Upon becoming a teenager, Nolan received his education from the
Central Remedial Clinic School,
Mount Temple Comprehensive School
Mount Temple Comprehensive School is a secondary school in Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland. The school operates under the patronage of the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, and has, as a primary objective, the provision of state-funded second-le ...
and at
Trinity College, Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
. At the age of fifteen, he published his first book, a collection of poems titled ''Dam-Burst of Dreams''.
He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters in the UK, the medal of excellence from the
United Nations Society of Writers
The United Nations Society of Writers is a club for United Nations staff registered with the United Nations Staff Socio Cultural Commission in Geneva, and is known under the acronyms UNSW and SENU, corresponding to ''Societé des écrivains des Na ...
, and a Person of the Year award in Ireland. He wrote an account of his childhood, ''
Under the Eye of the Clock'', published by St. Martin's Press, which won him the UK's Whitbread Book of the Year Award in 1987 at the age of 21. He soon dropped out of Trinity College to write a novel entitled ''
The Banyan Tree'' (1999).
Nolan spent more than a decade writing ''The Banyan Tree''. According to ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' the book is a multi-generational story of a dairy-farming family in Nolan's native county of
Westmeath
"Noble above nobility"
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 =
, subdivis ...
. The story is seen through the eyes of the aging mother.
It was inspired, he told ''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'', by the image of "an old woman holding up her skirts as she made ready to jump a rut in a field."
A review of the book was done in ''The New York Times'' by Maghan O'Rourke. She reviews the book and relates it to
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
's ''Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'', in the story the protagonist leaves his mother in Ireland while he moves on to travel the world.
Nolan however, gives the reader a version of the mother's story. "And so, in the end, one suspects that he wants Minnie's good-natured, commonplace ways to stand as their own achievement, reminding us that life continues in the places left behind."
Death
While working on a new novel, on 20 February 2009, Nolan died suddenly, aged 43, in
Beaumont hospital in Dublin, after a piece of salmon became trapped in his airway.
Irish president
Mary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese ( ; ga, Máire Pádraigín Mhic Ghiolla Íosa; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer and former politician who served as the eighth president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. She is an academic ...
, upon hearing the news, said:
Minister for Arts
Martin Cullen
Martin Cullen (born 2 November 1954) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism from 2008 to 2010, Minister for Social and Family Affairs from 2007 to 2008, Minister for Transport from 2004 to ...
TD reflected that people should draw inspiration from Nolan's life. "With grace and courage, and with the support of his family, he never gave up and he never gave in
..His bold creativity has ensured a written legacy."
Nothing has been released from the book in progress in 2009 since his death.
Writing
Publications
Nolan's autobiography ''Under the Eye of the Clock'' (published 1987), won the
Whitbread Award
The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...
and was named Book of the Year. Although an autobiography, it is narrated by a fictional character named Joseph Meehan who details Nolan's life as a third-person biography. The book reveals the deep relationship between Nolan and his mother, whom he calls Nora. ''Under the Eye of the Clock'' shows how Nolan's parents engaged him in conversation and outdoor activities like hiking and horseback riding. The book was a best-seller in Britain and the United States. Nolan's writing style is often compared to James Joyce and Dylan Thomas. Critics also point out Nolan's distinct writing style omits articles and uses participle construction other than relative clauses.
Nolan wrote ''The Banyan Tree'' (published 1999) in perspective of a country woman, Minnie O'Brien. The novel spans 80 years of Minnie's life, cutting from present to past to show the individuality of a woman and a mother who is determined to save the family's farm. ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...
'' appreciated "Nolan's soaring language and lilting alliterative style
hich
Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...
suffuse
..much of the book with a sense of the miraculous" and ''
The New York Times Book Review
''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...
'' found it "richly – even baroquely – told
..Nolan writes with verve."
''Dam-Burst of Dreams'' (published 1981), provided Nolan critical acclaim that compared him to the works of
W. B. Yeats
William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...
and
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
. The collection was published four years after Nolan was administered
Lioresal
Baclofen, sold under the brand name Lioresal among others, is a medication used to treat muscle spasticity such as from a spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis. It may also be used for hiccups and muscle spasms near the end of life. It is ...
but some of the poems were written when Nolan was just 12 years old. The title of the collection emphasized the recurrent theme of the overflow and release of his mental intellect. The collection's poems are heavy with alliteration and incorporate neologisms that draw from combinations of pre-existing root words.
Influences and mentors
Nolan often discouraged inquiries about his literary influences. During an interview he once wrote: "Everything is an influence to a person trapped in a nightmare!"
Nolan's enthusiasm for literature however was largely attributed to his father's appreciation of
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
,
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...
, and
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...
. Every night his father would read him several passages from Joyce's ''
Ulysses
Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature.
Ulysses may also refer to:
People
* Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name
Places in the United States
* Ulysses, Kansas
* Ulysse ...
'' and other literary works.
Listening to such pieces not only kept Nolan stimulated but piqued his interest in writing his own poetry.
In a poetry competition hosted by the
British Spastics Society, Nolan received praise from writer
Edna Healey
Edna May Healey, Baroness Healey (née Edmunds; 14 June 1918 – 21 July 2010) was a British people, British writer, lecturer and filmmaker.
Life and career
Edna May Edmunds was born in the Forest of Dean and educated at Royal Forest of Dean Co ...
, wife of then Chancellor of the Exchequer
Denis Healey
Denis Winston Healey, Baron Healey, (30 August 1917 – 3 October 2015) was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1974 to 1979 and as Secretary of State for Defence from 1964 to 1970; he ...
. As a judge of the competition she was one of the early recognizers of Nolan's writing abilities. Healey was later invited as a guest on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
program titled "The World this Weekend." On the broadcast in response to the question "what was the most impressive moment," she remarked that reading Nolan's work: "Was the highspot of my year."
When enrolling him for secondary school, Nolan's family struggled to convince educators that Nolan would be able to function in a regular class setting.
headmaster John Medlycott believed it was possible to devise a set-up to accommodate Nolan:
Thanks to Medlycott, Nolan was accepted into Mount Temple and later was received by
after Medlycott provided a personal recommendation.
Nolan's life story and works have been referenced to in several musical works. Rock band
''.
The song deals with a child who wishes to play with his peers outside but is instead laughed at. Throughout the song the refrain "I'm not supposed to be like this / But it's okay" is repeated several times.
Nolan was once approached by a Los Angeles film producer who was interested in making his biography into a movie. Nolan declined the offer and responded:
.
holds an award show in his honour.
The "Eye of the Clock Awards" are hosted in the last week of school for all students. These awards are given to students for extraordinary efforts in school and are inspired by Nolan's efforts in school.