This guest's latest novel has received rave reviews in lots of top publications worldwide. The New York Times review said, NORA is entirely convincing in her raw sensuality, her stubborn determination, her powerful sense of grievance and her inability to stop loving a deeply erratic, wildly manipulative yet enormously talented man.’
Author, Joseph O'Connor's review describes NORA as, "An exceptional novel by one of the most brilliant contemporary Irish writers..."
In my humble opinion, today's guest is one of the 21st century's best writers not only in Ireland but in the world.
The Dublin Book Festival has included Nuala's debut novel, YOU, published back in 2010, in their new series Departures: 10 Amazing Irish Novels of Landscape, Space & Place. This is no surprise as you will realise when you hear the wonderful Nuala O'Connor in this interview.
"The opening sentence of Mayo Oh Mayo one of the short stories in Joyride to Jupiter came to you when driving back from your friend in Birr, Co. Offaly, to your home in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway. Also, you started writing the title story of the same book when on a long bus trip in Croatia in 2013 and its name was inspired by an eyeshadow you had just bought, called Joyride to Jupiter. It seems that place and movement help with your inspiration. Is this something that you feel has been the case for most of your life?"
The answer to this question is one of the many insights into Nuala, the person, and Nuala, the writer.
"Although Ireland is central to you both as a writer and as a person, your research into places and people is incessantly inspirational, it seems. In a superb interview with the Editor of The Lonely Crowd, John Lavin, you said, "I went to Brazil for an Irish studies conference in 2012 and all the time I was thinking about Elizabeth Bishop and what it must have been like for her to live there." Does this happen in most places you visit or just some, talk to us about this, please, Nuala."
These are just a small sample of what I ask Nuala O'Connor. Nuala's answers will really help you understand this top 21st Century Author!
Senior reporter for one of the world's top newspapers, The Guardian, (at the time of recording) and author of ten books, Henry McDonald talks...
Today's guest was winning writing competitions as a child but went on to study medicine. She worked for many years as a child psychiatrist....
I read the third novel written by today’s guest late in 2020 and I couldn’t put it down. Guilty, which is set in County...
