Anne Enright
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Anne Teresa Enright (born 11 October 1962) is an Irish writer. The first Laureate for Irish Fiction (2015–2018) and winner of the Man Booker Prize (2007), she has published eight novels, many short stories, and a non-fiction work called ''Making Babies: Stumbling into Motherhood'', about the birth of her two children. Her essays on literary themes have appeared in the ''
London Review of Books The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published bimonthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews. History The ''London Review of Book ...
'' and ''
The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of ...
'', and she writes for the books pages of The ''
Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
'' and ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''. Her fiction explores themes such as family, love, identity and motherhood. Enright won the 2007
Man Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...
for her fourth novel '' The Gathering''. Her second novel, ''What Are You Like?'', was shortlisted in the novel category of the 2000 Whitbread Awards. Her 2012 novel '' The Forgotten Waltz'' won the Andre Carnegie Medal for Fiction. Her novel '' The Green Road'' was shortlisted for the
Women's Prize for Fiction The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–2012), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017) is one of the United Kingdom's ...
and won The Irish Novel of the Year (2015). In 2025, Enright was named as a recipient of a Windham-Campbell Prize, awarded in recognition of her life's work.


Early life

Anne Enright was born in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, Ireland, and was educated at St Louis High School, Rathmines. She won an international scholarship to
Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific (also referred to as Pearson College UWC) is one of eighteen schools and colleges around the world in the United World Colleges movement, located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. ...
in
Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...
, where she studied for an
International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), more commonly known as the International Baccalaureate (IB), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the I ...
for two years. She then completed a BA in English and Philosophy at
Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...
. She began writing in earnest when she was given an electric typewriter for her 21st birthday. She won a Chevening Scholarship to the
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a Public university, public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus university, campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of ...
's Creative Writing Course, where she studied under
Angela Carter Angela Olive Pearce (formerly Carter, Stalker; 7 May 1940 – 16 February 1992), who published under the name Angela Carter, was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism, and picar ...
and
Malcolm Bradbury Sir Malcolm Stanley Bradbury, (7 September 1932 – 27 November 2000) was an English author and academic. Life Bradbury was born in Sheffield, the son of a railwayman. His family moved to London in 1935, but returned to Sheffield in 1941 wit ...
and completed an MA degree. Enright was a television producer and director for
RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...
in Dublin for six years and produced the RTÉ programme '' Nighthawks'' for four years. She then worked in children's programming for two years and wrote on weekends. She began writing full-time in 1993. Her full-time career as a writer came about when she left television due to a breakdown, later remarking: "I recommend it ..having a breakdown early. If your life just falls apart early on, you can put it together again. It's the people who are always on the brink of crisis who don't hit bottom who are in trouble." Of her time spent working behind the scenes as a producer, Enright said: "There was a great buzz and sometimes I felt like awarding myself purple hearts for the work I was doing." It was a time of "
drinking Drinking is the act of ingesting water or other liquids into the body through the mouth, proboscis, or elsewhere. Humans drink by swallowing, completed by peristalsis in the esophagus. The physiological processes of drinking vary widely among ...
too much" and "hanging around" with people "who don't really have steady jobs".


Personal life

Enright lives in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, having previously lived in Bray,
County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...
, until 2014. She is married to Martin Murphy, who was director of the Pavilion Theatre in
Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in County Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built up alongside a small existing settlement following 1816 legislation th ...
and now works as an adviser to the
Arts Council of Ireland The Arts Council (sometimes called the Arts Council of Ireland; legally ) is the independent "Irish government agency for developing the arts". About It was established in 1951 by the government of Ireland, to encourage interest in Irish art ( ...
. They have two children, a son and daughter.


Books

Enright has described her working practice as involving "rocking the pram with one hand and typing with the other". Critics have suggested that it was from the work of
Flann O'Brien Brian O'Nolan (; 5 October 19111 April 1966), his pen name being Flann O'Brien, was an Civil Service of the Republic of Ireland, Irish civil service official, novelist, playwright and satirist, who is now considered a major figure in twentieth- ...
that Enright derived her early efforts. The year 1991 brought the publication of ''The Portable Virgin'', a collection of her short stories.
Angela Carter Angela Olive Pearce (formerly Carter, Stalker; 7 May 1940 – 16 February 1992), who published under the name Angela Carter, was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism, and picar ...
(who, as Enright's former creative writing teacher, knew her well) called it "elegant, scrupulously poised, always intelligent and, not least, original." Enright's first novel was published in 1995. Titled ''The Wig My Father Wore'', the book explores themes such as love, motherhood and the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. The narrator of the novel is Grace, who lives in Dublin and works for a tacky
game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...
. Her father wears a wig that cannot be spoken of in front of him. An
angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
called Stephen who committed suicide in 1934 and has come back to earth to guide lost
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
s moves into Grace's home and she falls in love with him. Enright's second novel, ''What Are You Like?'', was published in 2000. About
twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two ...
girls called Marie and Maria who are separated at birth and raised apart from each other in Dublin and
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, it looks at tensions and ironies between family members. It was shortlisted in the novel category of the Whitbread Awards. Enright's third novel, ''The Pleasure of Eliza Lynch'', published in 2002, is a fictionalised account of the life of Eliza Lynch, an Irish woman who was the consort of
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
an
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Francisco Solano López Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 or 1826 – 1 March 1870) was a Paraguay, Paraguayan statesman, Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay between 1862 and 1870, of which he serve ...
and became Paraguay's most powerful woman in the 19th century. Enright's 2004 book, ''Making Babies: Stumbling into Motherhood'', is a collection of candid and humorous essays about
childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour, parturition and delivery, is the completion of pregnancy, where one or more Fetus, fetuses exits the Womb, internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section and becomes a newborn to ...
and motherhood. Her fourth novel, '' The Gathering'', won the
Man Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...
in 2007. The '' aide-de-camp'' of President McAleese acknowledged the result. A positive review in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' stated that there was "no consolation" in ''The Gathering''. A scene in ''The Gathering'' is set in the foyer of Belvedere Hotel. Enright's seventh novel, ''Actress'', was selected for the longlist for the
Women's Prize for Fiction The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–2012), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017) is one of the United Kingdom's ...
2020. It tells the story of a daughter detailing her mother's rise to fame in late twentieth-century Irish theatre, Broadway, and Hollywood.


Other

Her writing has appeared in various magazines and newspapers. ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' has published her writing in seven years over two decades: 2000, 2001 and 2005, 2007, 2017, 2019 and 2020. The 4 October 2007 issue of the ''London Review of Books'' published Enright's piece "Disliking the McCanns" about Kate and Gerry McCann, the British parents of the three-year-old child Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in suspicious circumstances while on holiday with her family in Portugal in May 2007.
Mary Kenny Mary Kenny (born 4 April 1944) is an Irish journalist, broadcaster and playwright. A founding member of the Irish Women's Liberation Movement, she was one of the country's first and foremost Feminism, feminists, often contributes columns to the ...
described Enright as "irrationally prejudiced", a woman with "bad judgement", and questioned an apology which Enright issued. Enright was once a regular contributor to
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
, and has also reviewed for RTÉ. She has also been in '' The Dublin Review'', ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
'', ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', ''
Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story's supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make ...
'' and ''
The Paris Review ''The Paris Review'' is a quarterly English-language literary magazine established in Paris in 1953 by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton. In its first five years, ''The Paris Review'' published new works by Jack Kerouac, ...
''. In 2011, the Irish Academic Press published a collection of essays about her writing, edited by Claire Bracken and Susan Cahill. Her writing is illustrated in the video "Reading Ireland". Enright received the Irish PEN Award for Literature in 2017.
Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Enda Kenny Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence (Ireland), Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 201 ...
appointed Enright as the inaugural Laureate for Irish Fiction. During her time as Laureate for Irish Fiction, Enright promoted people's engagement with Irish literature through public lectures and creative writing classes. She later took up teaching at UCD's School of English, beginning in the 2018–19 academic year.


Bibliography


Novels

* ''The Wig My Father Wore'' (1995) * ''What Are You Like?'' (2000) * ''The Pleasure of Eliza Lynch'' (2002) * '' The Gathering'' (2007) * '' The Forgotten Waltz'' (2011) * '' The Green Road'' (2015) * ''Actress'' (2020) * ''The Wren, the Wren'' (2023)


Short fiction

;Collections * ''The Portable Virgin'' (1991) * '' Taking Pictures'' (2008) * ''Yesterday's Weather'' (2009) ;Stories


Nonfiction

* ''Making Babies: Stumbling into Motherhood'' (2004)


Critical studies and reviews of Enright's work

;''The Green Road'' *


Honours and Awards

* 1991: Rooney Prize for Irish Literature for ''The Portable Virgin'' * 2001: Encore Award for ''What Are You Like?'' * 2004: Davy Byrne's Irish Writing Award * 2007:
Man Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...
for '' The Gathering'' * 2008: Irish Novel of the Year for ''The Gathering'' * 2010: Fellow of the
Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...
* 2012: Orange Prize for Fiction shortlist for ''The Forgotten Waltz'' *2012: Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction for ''The Forgotten Waltz'' * 2012: Honorary Degree (DLit) from Goldsmiths College, University of London * 2016: Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award for ''The Green Road'' * 2021: Elected member of Aosdána - Irish Academy of Arts * 2024:
Women's Prize for Fiction The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–2012), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017) is one of the United Kingdom's ...
- shortlisted for ''The Wren, The Wren'' * 2025: Windham-Campbell Prize


References


External links


Anne Enright's top 10 slim volumes
''The Guardian'', 21 March 2001.

with Ramona Koval on '' The Book Show'', ABC Radio National, 15 September 2008, recorded at the 2008
Edinburgh International Book Festival The Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) is a book festival that takes place during two weeks in August every year in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland. Described as ''The largest festival of its kind in the world'', the festival hosts ...
.
Audio and video interviews with Anne Enright
at RTÉ.ie.
2002 interview with Anne Enright
in ''The Sunday Business Post''.
Podcast of Anne Enright discussing her Man Booker Prize
at the Shanghai International Literary Festival.
"The TLS on Anne Enright"
a collection of pieces on Anne Enright from ''
The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
'', 17 October 2007.
An interview and a reading from ''The Gathering''
on ''La Clé des langues'', May 2010.
2011 radio interview
at ''The Bat Segundo Show''.
"Anne Enright, August 2008"
in ''Close to the Next Moment: Interviews from a Changing Ireland'' by Jody Allen Randolph. Manchester: Carcanet, 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Enright, Anne 1962 births Living people 20th-century essayists 20th-century Irish novelists 20th-century Irish short story writers 20th-century Irish women writers 21st-century essayists 21st-century Irish novelists 21st-century Irish short story writers 21st-century Irish women writers Alumni of the University of East Anglia Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Booker Prize winners Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Irish essayists Irish PEN Award for Literature winners Irish television directors Irish television producers Irish women essayists Irish women novelists Irish women short story writers Irish women television producers People educated at a United World College People educated at St Louis High School, Rathmines People from Bray, County Wicklow People from Rathmines The New Yorker people Women television directors