Joseph Victor O'Connor (born 20 September 1963) is an Irish novelist. His 2002

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

'' Star of the Sea'' was an international number one bestseller. Before success as an author, he was a journalist with the ''

Sunday Tribune The ''Sunday Tribune'' was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to ta ...

'' newspaper and ''

Esquire magazine ''Esquire'' is an American men's magazine. Currently published in the United States by Hearst Communications, it also has more than 20 international editions. Founded in 1933, it flourished during the Great Depression and World War II under t ...

''. He is a regular contributor to Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) and a member of the Irish artists' association

Aosdána Aosdána ( , ; from , 'people of the arts') is an Irish association of artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers with support from the country's Arts Council. Membership, which is by invitation from current member ...

Early life

O'Connor is the eldest of five children and brother of singer

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, '' The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want Wha ...

. He is from the Glenageary area of south Dublin. His parents are Sean O'Connor, a structural engineer later turned

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and givin ...

, and Marie O'Connor. Educated at

Blackrock College Blackrock College ( ga, Coláiste na Carraige Duibhe) is a voluntary day and boarding Catholic secondary school for boys aged 13–18, in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded by French missionary Jules Leman in 186 ...

, O'Connor graduated from

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 33,284 student ...

with an M.A. in Anglo-Irish Literature. He did post-graduate work at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and received a second M.A. from

Leeds Metropolitan University Leeds Beckett University (LBU), formerly known as Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU) and before that as Leeds Polytechnic, is a public university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has campuses in the city centre and Headingley. The univ ...

'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.

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. 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 ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

'' 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 Edmund John Millington Synge (; 16 April 1871 – 24 March 1909) was an Irish playwright, poet, writer, collector of folklore, and a key figure in the Irish Literary Revival. His best known play '' The Playboy of the Western World'' was poorly ...

. It was published by

Harvill Secker Harvill Secker is a British publishing company formed in 2005 from the merger of Secker & Warburg and the Harvill Press. History Secker & Warburg Secker & Warburg was formed in 1935 from a takeover of Martin Secker, which was in receivership, ...

of London in 2010. O'Connor was a Research Fellow at the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress) ...

and Visiting Professor of Creative Writing/Writer in Residence at

Baruch College Baruch College (officially the Bernard M. Baruch College) is a public college in New York City. It is a constituent college of the City University of New York system. Named for financier and statesman Bernard M. Baruch, the college operates unde ...

, the City University of New York. In 2014, he was announced as the inaugural

Frank McCourt Francis McCourt (August 19, 1930July 19, 2009) was an Irish-American teacher and writer. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his book ''Angela's Ashes'', a tragicomic memoir of the misery and squalor of his childhood. Early life and education Frank ...

Chair in Creative Writing at the

University of Limerick The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a public research university institution in Limerick, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in 1989 in accordance w ...

, where he teaches on the MA in Creative Writing. He was a regular contributor to ''

Drivetime DriveTime Automotive Group Inc. is an American used car retailer and finance company. It is based in Tempe, Arizona, and sells and finances cars to customers around the nation. The company was formerly known as Ugly Duckling and was renamed Dr ...

'', an evening news and current affairs programme on

RTÉ Radio 1 RTÉ Radio 1 ( ga, RTÉ Raidió 1) is an Irish national radio station owned and operated by RTÉ and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926. The total budget for th ...

. O'Connor's latest book, ''Shadowplay'', published in 2019, was shortlisted for the 2019 Costa book prize in the Novel category.

Personal life

O'Connor is married to television and film writer

Anne-Marie Casey Anne-Marie Casey (born 7 July 1965) is a primetime TV screenwriter and producer who moved into stage adaptation and novels. Biography Casey was born in 1965 in the UK to an Irish father. She was educated in St Bernard's convent school before g ...

. They have two sons. He and his family have lived in London and Dublin, and occasionally resided in Manhattan during his work in New York City.

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'' (2002) * ''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)

Stage plays

* ''

Red Roses and Petrol ''Red Roses and Petrol'' is a 2003 drama film based on the stage play of the same name by Joseph O'Connor. The film was directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs, and stars Malcolm McDowell and Max Beesley. It was released, on DVD, in 2008. Plot Amid a haze ...

'' * ''The Weeping of Angels'' * ''

My Cousin Rachel ''My Cousin Rachel'' is a Gothic novel written by English author Daphne du Maurier, published in 1951. Bearing thematic similarities to her earlier and more famous novel ''Rebecca'', it is a mystery-romance, set primarily on a large estate in ...

'' – stage adaptation of the

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geo ...

novel. * ''Handel's Crossing ''

Awards and honors

*2011 Walter Scott Prize, shortlist, ''Ghost Light'' *2012 Irish PEN Award, for outstanding contribution to Irish Literature. *2019

Irish Book Award The Irish Book Awards are Irish literary awards given annually to books and authors in various categories. In 2018 An Post took over sponsorship of the awards from Bord Gais Energy. It is the only literary award supported by all-Irish bookstores. ...

– Eason Novel of the Year for ''Shadowplay''

References

External links

www.doollee.com – The Playwrights' Database

Barnesandnoble.com interview

Personal Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Joseph 1963 births 20th-century Irish people 21st-century Irish people Living people Alumni of University College Dublin Aosdána members Irish dramatists and playwrights Irish male dramatists and playwrights Irish novelists People from Glenageary Sunday Tribune people People educated at Blackrock College Irish PEN Award for Literature winners Irish male novelists