| Louise Kennedy | |
|---|---|
 Kennedy in 2023 | |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
| Notable works | Trespasses The End of the World is a Cul de Sac |
Louise Kennedy (born 1966 or 1967) is an Irish writer.
Early life and education
Kennedy grew up in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland, and, from the age of 12, in Dublin and Kildare. She worked as a chef for 30 years before joining a creative writing group at a friend's insistence. She has an MA and a PhD in creative writing from Queen's University Belfast.
Writing
Kennedy's early short stories appeared in publications including The Stinging Fly, The Tangerine, Banshee, Wasafiri and Ambit. She was shortlisted for the 2019 and 2020 Sunday Times Short Story Awards, for "In Silhouette" and "Sparing the Heather" respectively.
Kennedy's first novel, Trespasses (2022), was shortlisted for the 2022 (inaugural) Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize and the 2023 Women's Prize for Fiction. Kennedy has said that it is "a star-crossed love story set in a small town near Belfast in 1975, at the height of the time known as The Troubles".
She published a book of short stories, The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac, in 2023. They were described by Kirkus Reviews as "set in a contemporary Ireland divided by wealth and education". The Guardian's reviewer called it a "dazzling, heartbreaking debut collection", and the New York Journal of Books wrote of "deep-probing, slice-of-life stories seamlessly woven in stark vignettes without a filter".
She has also written for The Guardian, The Irish Times, and BBC Radio 4.
Personal life
Kennedy lives in Sligo.
Awards
| Year | Book | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Trespasses | Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award | — | Nominated | |
| Irish Book Award | — | Won | |||
| Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize | — | Shortlisted | |||
| 2023 | British Book Award | Overall Book of the Year | Shortlisted | ||
| Début Book of the Year | Won | ||||
| Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award | — | Shortlisted | |||
| McKitterick Prize | — | Won | |||
| Women's Prize for Fiction | — | Shortlisted |
Selected publications
- —— (2023). Trespasses. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781526623324.
- —— (2023). The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac (1st U.S. ed.). New York: Riverhead Books. ISBN 9780593540923.
References
- ^ "Five minutes with Louise Kennedy". Women's Prize. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
in 2014 when I was 47
- ^ Reynolds, Mark (14 April 2021). "Louise Kennedy: Marks on the ground". Bookanista. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- Ciabattari, Jane (19 December 2023). "Louise Kennedy on Discovering Fiction's Complex Emotional Truths". Literary Hub. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- "The Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award Shortlist Collection 2019". Audible. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- "The Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award Shortlist Collection 2020". Audible. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- Doyle, Martin (20 July 2022). "Louise Kennedy on Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize shortlist; Margaret Atwood at Clifden festival". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- Shaffi, Sarah (26 April 2023). "Three debut novels compete among Women's prize for fiction shortlist". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- "The End of the World is a Cul de Sac". Kirkus Reviews. 9 September 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- Cook, Jude (22 April 2021). "The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac by Louise Kennedy review – a dazzling debut". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- Fullerton, Claire. "The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac: Stories". New York Journal of Books. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "Louise Kennedy". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Penguin Random House. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
Further reading
- Kennedy, Louise (31 March 2023). "The books of my life: 'I read Wuthering Heights twice and found it demented'". The Guardian.
  | This article about an Irish writer or poet is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |