Sebastian Barry is an Irish novelist, playwright and poet. He was named Laureate for Irish Fiction, 2018–2021. Barry has been twice shortlisted for 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 ...

for his novels '' A Long Long Way'' (2005) and '' The Secret Scripture'' (2008), the latter of which won the 2008 Costa Book of the Year and the

James Tait Black Memorial Prize The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Un ...

. His 2011 novel, '' On Canaan's Side'', was longlisted for the Booker. In January 2017, Barry was awarded the Costa Book of the Year prize for '' Days Without End'', becoming the first novelist to win the prestigious prize twice.

Early life and education

Barry 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 ...

. His mother was acclaimed actress Joan O'Hara. One of Barry's grandfathers belonged to the British Army Corps of Royal Engineers. His other grandfather was a painter, a Nationalist, and a devotee of De Valera. He was educated at

Catholic University School Catholic University School ''(C.U.S.)'' is a private (voluntary) secondary school for boys in Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1867 by Bartholomew Woodlock as a preparatory school for the Catholic University of Ireland, the predeces ...

and

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 ...

, where he read English and

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

Career

Academia

Barry's academic posts have included Honorary Fellow in Writing at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

(1984), Heimbold Visiting Professor at

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...

(2006) and Writer Fellow 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 Univ ...

(1995–1996).

Works

Barry's first literary publication was the novel ''Macker's Garden'' in 1982. His first play, ''The Pentagonal Dream'', starred Olwen Fouéré and debuted in the Damer Theatre in March 1986. This was followed by several books of poetry and a further novel, ''The Engine of Owl-Light'' in 1987, before his career as a playwright began with his first play produced in the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...

, ''Boss Grady's Boys'', in 1988. Barry's maternal great-grandfather, James Dunne, provided the inspiration for the main character in his most internationally known play, '' The Steward of Christendom'' (1995), which won the

Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize The Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize was created in 1977, in memory of Christopher Ewart-Biggs, British Ambassador to Ireland, who was assassinated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provi ...

, the Lloyd's Private Banking Playwright of the Year Award and other awards. The main character, named Thomas Dunne in the play, was the chief superintendent of the

Dublin Metropolitan Police The Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) was the police force of Dublin in History of Ireland (1801–1923), British-controlled Ireland from 1836 to 1922 and then the Irish Free State until 1925, when it was absorbed into the new state's Garda Sío ...

from 1913 to 1922. He oversaw the area surrounding

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle () is a major Government of Ireland, Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin. It is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at ...

until the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...

takeover on 16 January 1922. Both '' The Steward of Christendom'' and the novel ''The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty'' (1998) are about the dislocations (physical and otherwise) of

loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

Irish people during the political upheavals of the early 20th century. The title character of the latter work is a young man forced to leave Ireland by his former friends in the aftermath of the Anglo-Irish War. His novel '' A Long Long Way'' was shortlisted for the 2005

, and was selected for

's 2007 One City One Book event. The novel tells the story of Willie Dunne, a young recruit to the Royal Dublin Fusiliers during the First World War. It brings to life the divided loyalty that many Irish soldiers felt at the time following the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...

in 1916. Willie Dunne, son of the fictional Thomas Dunne, first appears as a minor but important character in ''The Steward of Christendom''. Barry's 2008 novel '' The Secret Scripture'' won the

for fiction (announced in August 2009), the oldest such award in the UK, the 2008 Costa Book of the Year (announced 27 January 2009), and (in French translation ''Le testament caché'') the 2010 Cezam Prix Littéraire Inter CE. ''The Secret Scripture'' was also a favourite to win the 2008 Man Booker Prize, narrowly losing out to Aravind Adiga's '' The White Tiger''. Barry's play ''Andersen's English'' is inspired by children's writer

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

coming to stay with

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

and his family in the Kent marshes. Directed by Max Stafford-Clark and produced by Out of Joint and

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. History The original ''Hampstead Theatre Clu ...

, the play toured in the UK from 11 February to 8 May 2010. ''Our Lady of Sligo'' was directed in 1998 by Max Stafford-Clark at the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

, co−produced by Out of Joint. '' On Canaan's Side'', Barry's fifth novel, concerns Lily Bere, the sister of the character Willy Dunne from ''A Long Long Way'' and the daughter of the character Thomas Dunne from ''The Steward of Christendom'', as she emigrates to the US. The novel was longlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize and won the 2012 Walter Scott Prize. Barry's next novel, ''The Temporary Gentleman'' (2014), tells the story of Jack McNulty—an Irishman whose commission in the British army in WWII was never permanent. Sitting in his lodgings in

Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...

, Ghana, in 1957, he is writing the story of his life with desperate urgency. Barry's novel '' Days Without End'' followed in 2016. It won Costa Book of the Year 2017, the Walter Scott Prize, and The Independent Booksellers' Prize, and was longlisted for the 2017 Man Booker Prize. Barry's 2023 novel, ''Old God’s Time'', was shortlisted for the 2024

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award (), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. It promotes excellence in world literature and is solely ...

and longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize.

Personal life

Barry lives in

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 ...

with his wife, actor and screenwriter Alison Deegan. In 2001, Barry established his personal and professional archive at the

Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center, known as the Humanities Research Center until 1983, is an archive, library, and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe ...

at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

. More than 60 boxes of papers document his diverse writing career and range of creative output, which includes drawings, poetry, short stories, novels, essays, and scripts.

Recognition and awards

Barry has been awarded honorary degrees from 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 ...

(2010),

NUI Galway The University of Galway () is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. The university was founded in 1845 as "Queen's College, Galway". It was known as "University College, Galway" (UCG) () from 1908 to 1997 and as ...

(2012), and the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

(2014). He has an Alumni Award from Trinity College, Dublin, and in 2022 was made an honorary fellow of Trinity College.

List of works

Poetry

*''The Water Colourist'' (Dolmen Press, 1983) *''The Rhetorical Town'' (Dolmen Press, 1985) *''Fanny Hawke Goes to the Mainland Forever'' (Raven Arts Press, 1989)

Fiction

*''Macker’s Garden'' (1982) *''The Engine of Owl-Light'' (1987) *''The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty'' (1998) *'' Annie Dunne'' (2002) *'' A Long Long Way'' (2005) *'' The Secret Scripture'' (2008) *'' On Canaan's Side'' (2011) *''The Temporary Gentleman'' (2014) *'' Days Without End'' (2016)Briefly reviewed in th
March 20, 2017 issue
of ''

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 ...

'', p.97. *''A Thousand Moons'' (2020) *''Old God's Time'' (2023)

Plays

*''The Pentagonal Dream'' (1986) *''Boss Grady's Boys'' (1988) *''Prayers of Sherkin'' (1990) *''White Woman Street'' (1992) *''The Only True History of Lizzie Finn'' (1995) *'' The Steward of Christendom'' (1995) *''Our Lady of Sligo'' (1998) *''Hinterland'' (2002) *''Whistling Psyche'' (2004) *''Fred and Jane'' (2004) *''The Pride of Parnell Street'' (2008) *''Dallas Sweetman'' (2008) *''Tales of Ballycumber'' (2009) *''Andersen's English'' (2010) *''On Blueberry Hill'' (2017)

References

External links

Sebastian Barry Papers
at the

Biography
at the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

Short biography
from the Berlin International Literature Festival {{DEFAULTSORT:Barry, Sebastian 1955 births Living people 20th-century Irish dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Irish male writers 20th-century Irish novelists 21st-century Irish dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Irish male writers 21st-century Irish novelists Academics of Trinity College Dublin Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Aosdána members Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize recipients Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Honorary Fellows of Trinity College Dublin International Writing Program alumni Irish male dramatists and playwrights Irish male novelists Irish male poets Irish poets James Tait Black Memorial Prize recipients People educated at Catholic University School Walter Scott Prize winners