Lucy Caldwell (born 1981) is a

Northern Irish The people of Northern Ireland are all people born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British Nationality Law, British citizen, an Irish nationality law, Irish citizen or is otherwis ...

playwright and novelist. She was the winner of the 2021

BBC National Short Story Award The BBC National Short Story Award (known as the National Short Story Award in 2006 and 2007) has been described as "one of the most prestigious wardsfor a single short story" and the richest prize in the world for a single short story. It is an ...

and of the 2023

Walter Scott Prize The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction is a British literary award founded in 2010.Walter S ...

Biography

She was born in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

in 1981 in what she later described as into

"one of the darkest and most turbulent years of
the Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...
: the year the
hunger strikes A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are named d ...
began, when within a few months
Bobby Sands Robert Gerard Sands (; 9 March 1954 – 5 May 1981) was a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who died on hunger strike while imprisoned at HM Prison Maze in Northern Ireland. Sands helped to plan the 1976 Balmoral Furnit ...
and nine others died; when things seemed to be spiralling irrevocably out of control."

She studied at Strathearn School and later at

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the 16 "old colleges" of the university, and was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. Its buildings span the R ...

, graduating with a First-Class Degree, and

Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by ...

. Caldwell left the city she had always considered "boring, introverted" in 1999, but later declared: "yes, it's true: I do love this city, and I do love these streets, and I am proud to be from here."

Work

In June 2004, Caldwell's first short play, ''The River'', was performed at the

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama () is a conservatoire located in Cardiff, Wales. It has three theatres: the Richard Burton Theatre, the Bute Theatre, and the Caird Studio. It also includes one concert hall, the Dora Stoutzker Hall, and ...

, and subsequently the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

. The play won her the PMA Most Promising Playwright Award. Caldwell spent time as writer-on-attachment to the National Theatre in 2005. Her first full-length play, ''Leaves'', won the 2006

George Devine Award George Alexander Cassady Devine (20 November 1910 – 20 January 1966) was an English theatrical manager, director, teacher, and actor based in London from the early 1930s until his death. He also worked in TV and film. Early life and education ...

, the 2007

Susan Smith Blackburn Prize The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize established in 1978, is the largest and oldest playwriting prize for women+ writing for English-speaking theatre. Named for Susan Smith Blackburn (1935–1977), alumna of Smith College, who died of breast cancer. W ...

and the BBC Stewart Parker Award. In 2007 it was produced by the

Druid Theatre Company The Druid Theatre Company, referred to as Druid, is an Irish theatre company, based in Galway, Ireland. As well as touring extensively across Ireland, the company's productions have played internationally to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the ...

, and directed by

Garry Hynes Garry Hynes (born 10 June 1953) is an Irish theatre director. She was the first woman to win the prestigious Tony Award for direction of a play. Biography Hynes was born in Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon, and educated at St. Louis Convent at ...

. The play premiered in

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

before transferring to the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

. Her second full-length play, ''Guardians'', premiered at the 2009

HighTide Festival HighTide is a theatre company based in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. It is one of the UK’s leading producers of new plays, and the only professional theatre company focused on the production of new playwrights. The company produces around six new produ ...

Halesworth Halesworth is a market town, civil parish and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in north-eastern Suffolk, England. The population stood at 4,726 in the 2011 Census. It lies south-west of Lowestoft, on a tribut ...

. Reviewing the production, critic Michael Billington wrote: " aldwellwrites with real power about lost love. I was much moved." ''Notes to Future Self'' was produced at the

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...

in March 2011, directed by Rachel Kavanaugh. It was described in ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...

'' as "Brave, beautiful, and quite extraordinary".

Radio plays

Caldwell's radio play, ''Girl from Mars'', broadcast by

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 ...

in 2008, won the Irish Playwrights' and Screenwriters' Guild Award ("ZeBBie") for Best Radio Play and the BBC's

Richard Imison Award The Richard Imison Award is an award which recognises the best radio drama, generally by a writer new to the industry, and is now awarded as part of the BBC Audio Drama Awards. It was established in 1994 and commemorates the life and work of Richa ...

for best script by a writer new to radio. In their verdict, the judges said:

"This is a gripping and powerful depiction of the effect on a family when one sibling goes missing. The beautifully-told story begins when a body is found and the remaining daughter returns to be with her family while they await identification. Girl From Mars is moving and emotionally taut. It veers away from sentimentality and felt personal and believable. The structure is complex – combining three different timescales – and uses radio to its full potential, using many techniques including voice-overs, dialogue, text messages, and voice mail. The story has a shades-of-grey resolution about the way a person's life can tragically stop short – and this is echoed in the subtle way the writer ends her own play too."

Novels, fiction

Caldwell's first novel, ''

Where They Were Missed ''Where They Were Missed'' is the debut novel from Northern Irish author Lucy Caldwell (though she had previously written plays). It was shortlisted for the inaugural Dylan Thomas Prize and the Waverton Good Read Award. It was named by ''The ...

'', set in

and

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

, was published in February 2006 by

Faber & Faber Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...

and short-listed for the 2006

Dylan Thomas Prize The Dylan Thomas Prize is a leading prize for young writers presented annually. The prize, named in honour of the Welsh writer and poet Dylan Thomas, brings international prestige and a remuneration of £30,000 (~$46,000). It is open to published w ...

. It was described by ''

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'' as "a debut reminiscent of

Ian McEwan Ian Russell McEwan (born 21 June 1948) is a British novelist and screenwriter. In 2008, ''The Times'' featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and ''The Daily Telegraph'' ranked him number 19 in its list of the ...

's ''

The Cement Garden ''The Cement Garden'' is a 1978 novel by Ian McEwan. It was adapted into a 1993 film of the same name by Andrew Birkin, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Andrew Robertson. ''The Cement Garden'' has had a positive reception since its original ...

'' and

Trezza Azzopardi Trezza Azzopardi (born 1961) is a Welsh writer who has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won several other literary prizes. Early life Azzopardi was born in Cardiff to a Maltese father and a Welsh mother. She studied creative writing at ...

's '' The Hiding Place''. Caldwell's second novel, ''The Meeting Point'', centred on a young Irish

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

couple who journey to

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

, was published in February 2011. It was described by ''

the Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' as "Compelling, passionate and deeply resonant", and by ''

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 ...

'' as "haunting... compulsively readable". In 2012, Caldwell was the recipient of a Major Individual Artist Award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Her novel, '' All the Beggars Riding'', published in 2013, was shortlisted for both the

Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award The Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award is an annual award for Irish authors of fiction, established in 1995. It was previously known as the Kerry Ingredients Book of the Year Award (1995–2000), the Kerry Ingredients Irish Fiction Award ...

and the Fiction Uncovered selection and was chosen as Belfast's

One City One Book One City One Book (also One Book One City, '' ity' Reads, On the Same Page, and other variations) is a generic name for a community reading program that attempts to get everyone in a city to read and discuss the same book. The name of the program i ...

. Caldwell won the 2021

for "All the People Were Mean and Bad". In 2022, Caldwell published ''These Days'', a fictionalized account of the

Belfast Blitz The Belfast Blitz consisted of four German air raids on strategic targets in the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland, in April and May 1941 during World War II, causing high casualties. The first was on the night of 78 April 1941, a small atta ...

, revolving around the lives of two sisters. The book won the

Walter Scott Prize The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction is a British literary award founded in 2010.Walter S ...

for historical fiction in 2023.

Novels and plays

Novels

* ''

'' (Faber, 2005) , * ''

The Meeting Point ''The Meeting Point'' (''Sabirni centar'') is a 1989 Yugoslavian fantasy/comedy-drama film directed by Goran Marković and starring Rade Marković, Bogdan Diklić, Dragan Nikolić, Mirjana Karanović and Anica Dobra. It is based on Dušan Kova� ...

'' (Faber, 2011) , * ''All the Beggars Riding'' (Faber, 2013) , * '' Multitudes: Eleven Stories'' (Faber, 2016) , * ''These Days'' (Faber, 2022) * ''Openings: Thirteen Stories'' (Faber, 2024)

Stage plays

* ''Leaves'' (2007) , ; Chapel Lane, Galway, transferring to the Royal Court (Upstairs), London * ''Carnival'' (2008) produced by Kabosh at Edinburgh Festival Spiegeltent * ''Guardians'' (2009) * ''The Luthier'' (2009) Origin Theatre Company as part of the New York 1st Irish Festival * ''Notes to Future Self'' (2011) at Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company * ''Hier Soir, Demain Soir'' (2012), commissioned by the Comédie de Valence, for Festival Ambivalence(s)

Radio plays

* ''Girl from Mars'' (2008) BBC Radio 4 * ''Avenues of Eternal Peace'' (2009) BBC Radio 4 * The Watcher on the Wall (2013) BBC Radio 4 * At Sea (2024) BBC Radio 4

Awards and honours

* 2006:

for ''Leaves'' * 2007:

Susan Smith Blackburn Award The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize established in 1978, is the largest and oldest playwriting prize for women+ writing for English-speaking theatre. Named for Susan Smith Blackburn (1935–1977), alumna of Smith College, who died of breast cancer. W ...

for ''Leaves'' * 2009: Irish Playwrights' and Screenwriters' Guild Award for ''Girl from Mars'' * 2009:

for ''Girl From Mars'' * 2011:

Rooney Prize for Irish Literature The Rooney Prize for Irish Literature was created in 1976 by the Irish American businessman Dan Rooney, owner and chairman of the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers franchise and former US Ambassador to Ireland. The prize is administered by the Oscar Wilde ...

. * 2011:

for ''The Meeting Point'' * 2013:

(shortlisted) for ''All the Beggars Riding'' * 2018: Elected 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 ...

in its "40 Under 40" initiative. * 2021:

for "All the People Were Mean and Bad". * 2023:

Walter Scott Prize The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction is a British literary award founded in 2010.Walter S ...

for historical fiction, for ''These Days''

References

External links

* * David Evans
"Paperback review: All the Beggars Riding, By Lucy Caldwell"
''The Independent'', 16 March 2013. * Lucy Caldwell's ''All the Beggars Riding'' is Belfast’s choice for One City One Book 2013 (Wednesday 6 February 2013) http://www.artscouncil-ni.org/news/lucy-caldwells-all-the-beggars-riding-is-belfasts-choice-for-one-city-one-b *

Boyd Tonkin Boyd Tonkin Hon. FRSL is an English writer, journalist and literary critic. He was the literary editor of ''The Independent'' newspaper from 1996 to 2013. A long-time proponent of foreign-language literature, he is the author of ''The 100 Best No ...

"One Minute With: Lucy Caldwell"
''The Independent'', 1 February 2013. * Freya McClelland

''The Independent'', 11 February 2011. {{DEFAULTSORT:Caldwell, Lucy 1981 births Living people 21st-century novelists from Northern Ireland 21st-century women writers from Northern Ireland Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Date of birth missing (living people) Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature People educated at Strathearn School Women dramatists and playwrights from Northern Ireland Women novelists from Northern Ireland Writers from Belfast