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Naoise Dolan

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Naoise Dolan
Born (1992-04-14) 14 April 1992 (age 32)
Dublin, Ireland
OccupationNovelist
LanguageEnglish
Alma mater
Period2020–present
Notable worksExciting Times
The Happy Couple

Naoise Dolan (Irish pronunciation: [ˈn̪ˠiːʃə]; born 14 April 1992) is an Irish novelist. She is known for her novels Exciting Times (2020) and The Happy Couple (2023).[1]

Early life and education

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Dolan was born in Dublin, Ireland.[2] She experienced homophobic bullying in school.[3] A college debater, she co-convened the Irish Mace competition in 2015/16.[4] She identifies as queer.[5]

Dolan obtained an English degree from Trinity College Dublin in 2016[6][2] and later a Master's in Victorian literature from Oxford University.[7][2] Her desire to become a writer began while she was at Trinity College.[1] It was during her time as a student that she first came to popularity, as the writer and illustrator of humorous feminist cartoons published to her blog.[8]

In 2016, after finishing university and being unable to find work in Ireland, she moved to Singapore to work as a TEFL teacher.[9] Later that year, she moved to Hong Kong.[10][9] She has also lived in Italy.[1] Since 2018, she has lived in London intermittently.[2] Due to the climate crisis, she no longer travels by plane.[11]

At age 27, Dolan was diagnosed with autism.[12] She has been open about her diagnosis in interviews and on social media.[2]

Career

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Exciting Times (2020)

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Main article: Exciting Times

Dolan began writing Exciting Times in 2017, when she was living in Hong Kong.[2] She completed writing the novel in five months.[2] The novel received critical acclaim, and was often likened to the work of Sally Rooney, a fellow Trinity College Dublin graduate.[13][14] The novel follows a 22-year-old Dubliner, Ava, while she is teaching English in Hong Kong, and her relationships with Julian, an Oxford-educated banker, and Edith, a corporate lawyer from a wealthy Hong-Kong family.[15] The New York Times described it at as a novel where "jealousy and obsession, love and late capitalism, sex and the internet all come whirling together in a wry and bracing tale of class and privilege."[15]

Dolan was shortlisted for The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year award in 2020 and for the Dalkey — Award (Emerging Writer) in 2021.[16][17] In May 2020 it was announced that Exciting Times had been optioned for a US television series by Black Bear Pictures,[2] and in August 2021 it was revealed that Phoebe Dynevor would star in the adaptation and act as executive producer. The series will be produced by Amazon Studios.[18]

The Happy Couple (2023)

[edit]
Main article: The Happy Couple

In a March 2021 interview, Dolan stated that she was making edits on her second novel.[19] Her sophomore novel The Happy Couple was released in the United Kingdom on 25 May 2023. The novel revolves around a couple dealing with their flawed relationship days before their wedding told from different perspectives. The Guardian gave it a mostly positive review describing it as "funny and direct" while musing, "Dolan more often uses her wit simply to parcel out insights and provocations among her cast rather than using them to build personalities we really care about."[20] In a positive review The Telegraph lauded Dolan's skill as a writer noting, "This book confirms her as an artful comic novelist with a distinctive signature style."[21] The novel is "study not of love or romance but of the motivating force of self-delusion."[22]

Awards and recognition

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Year Work Award Category Result Ref
2020 Exciting Times Blackwell's Book of the Year Debut Novel Shortlisted
Irish Book Award Newcomer Shortlisted
The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award — Shortlisted
Waterstones Book of the Year — Shortlisted [23]
2021 British Book Awards Début Book of the Year Shortlisted
Desmond Elliott Prize — Longlisted
Dylan Thomas Prize — Longlisted [24][25]
Women's Prize for Fiction — Longlisted [26]
2024 The Happy Couple Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award — Shortlisted

Published works

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  • —— (2020). Exciting Times. Orion Publishing. ISBN 9781474618908.
  • —— (2023). The Happy Couple. Harper Collins. ISBN 9781474613521.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Cain, Sian (19 April 2020). "Naoise Dolan: 'I'm not good at presenting myself as likable'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Bol, Rosita. "Naoise Dolan: 'I feel pressure to tell people I am autistic, in case I am too blunt'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  3. ^ "'Why couldn't I come out at 16 when it was something kids were saying about me anyway?' - author Naoise Dolan". Independent.ie. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  4. ^ Mace Workshop 1 - Basics of BP Debating - Daisy Onubogu & Naoise Dolan. Irish Mace. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ Dolan, Naoise. "Naoise Dolan: We need more LGBT stories because there are so many to tell".
  6. ^ IMAGE (21 April 2020). "Meet author Naoise Dolan – the Irish fiction newcomer that everybody's talking about". IMAGE.ie. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  7. ^ "All off script... Meet Naoise Dolan, the funniest writer you will read this year". Independent.ie. 12 April 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  8. ^ Bobadilla, Suzanna (1 May 2015). "The Feministing Five: Naoise Dolan". Feministing. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b Singapore, Naoise Dolan in. "I hate the term 'expat', but being one brings great freedom". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Naoise Dolan: In Life & In Novels, Nothing Is More Interesting Than Relationships". British Vogue. 14 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  11. ^ Dolan, Naoise (14 April 2020). ""When Something's Wrong, It's Really Wrong" – Autism Under Lockdown". Refinery29. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  12. ^ Dolan, Naoise. "Naoise Dolan: how being diagnosed with autism aged 27 changed my life". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Exciting Times: Naoise Dolan's dazzling debut offers a rare treat in times of isolation". independent. 11 April 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  14. ^ Gilmartin, Sarah. "Exciting Times review: Whipsmart debut heralds a new star of Irish writing". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  15. ^ a b Wang, Xuan Juliana (2 June 2020). "In 'Exciting Times,' Echoes of Sally Rooney, but With a Queer Twist". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  16. ^ Times, The Sunday. "The Sunday Times/University of Warwick Young Writer of the Year award 2020: shortlist announced". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  17. ^ "Emerging Writer Award Shortlist 2021". www.zurich.ie. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  18. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (17 August 2021). "Phoebe Dynevor Set To EP & Poised To Star In 'Exciting Times' Series In Works At Amazon Studios". Deadline. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  19. ^ AnOther (8 March 2021). "Naoise Dolan, the Queer New Prodigy of Irish Literature". AnOther. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  20. ^ Cummins, Anthony (15 May 2023). "The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan review – less love triangle, more sex pentangle". The Observer.
  21. ^ Feeny, Madeleine (12 May 2023). "A modern comedy of manners that thinks marriage is no joke". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  22. ^ Hitchens, Antonia (4 December 2023). "Book Review: 'The Happy Couple,' by Naoise Dolan". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  23. ^ "Waterstones Book of the Year 2020 | Waterstones". www.waterstones.com. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  24. ^ "Dylan Thomas Prize 2021: Longlist Announced". Wales Arts Review. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  25. ^ "2021 Longlist – Swansea University". www.swansea.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  26. ^ "Revealing the 2021 Women's Prize longlist". Women's Prize for Fiction. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
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