Paul Murray (author)
Encyclopedia
Paul Murray is an Irish
novelist, the author of the novels An Evening of Long Goodbyes
and Skippy Dies
.
in south Dublin, an experience that would later provide the basis for the school in Skippy Dies. He studied English literature
at Trinity College, Dublin
, and subsequently completed his Masters in creative writing at the University of East Anglia
. He also spent time in Barcelona
as an English teacher, a time he did not enjoy, describing it as "a brief and unhappy stint teaching English to a Catalan businessman, who pointed out many faults in my grammar I had not known about hitherto".. He describes Gravity's Rainbow
as a very influential book to him.
, was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Prize in 2003 and nominated for the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award
. His second novel Skippy Dies
was longlisted for the 2010 Booker Prize
and shortlisted for the 2010 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize
for Comic Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award
for Fiction. It was also #3 on Time
magazine's top ten works of fiction from 2010.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
novelist, the author of the novels An Evening of Long Goodbyes
An Evening of Long Goodbyes
An Evening of Long Goodbyes is a 2003 comic novel by Irish author Paul Murray. It was shortlisted for the 2003 Whitbread First Novel Award and for the 2003 Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award.-Synopsis:...
and Skippy Dies
Skippy Dies
Skippy Dies is a 2010 tragicomic novel by Paul Murray. It was shortlisted for the 2010 Costa Book Awards, longlisted for the 2010 Man Booker Prize, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.-Plot:...
.
Biography
Murray was born in Dublin in 1975, the son of a professor of Anglo-Irish Drama in UCD and a teacher mother. Murray attended Blackrock CollegeBlackrock College
Blackrock College is a Catholic voluntary secondary school for boys aged 14–18, located in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. The College was founded by French missionaries in 1860, to act as a school and civil service training centre. Set in of grounds, it has an illustrious...
in south Dublin, an experience that would later provide the basis for the school in Skippy Dies. He studied English literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, and subsequently completed his Masters in creative writing at the University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
. He also spent time in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
as an English teacher, a time he did not enjoy, describing it as "a brief and unhappy stint teaching English to a Catalan businessman, who pointed out many faults in my grammar I had not known about hitherto".. He describes Gravity's Rainbow
Gravity's Rainbow
Gravity's Rainbow is a postmodern novel written by Thomas Pynchon and first published on February 28, 1973.The narrative is set primarily in Europe at the end of World War II and centers on the design, production and dispatch of V-2 rockets by the German military, and, in particular, the quest...
as a very influential book to him.
Novels
Murray has written two novels: his first, An Evening of Long GoodbyesAn Evening of Long Goodbyes
An Evening of Long Goodbyes is a 2003 comic novel by Irish author Paul Murray. It was shortlisted for the 2003 Whitbread First Novel Award and for the 2003 Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award.-Synopsis:...
, was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Prize in 2003 and nominated for the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award
Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award
The Kerry Group Irish Fiction 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 and the Kerry Ingredients Irish Fiction Award ....
. His second novel Skippy Dies
Skippy Dies
Skippy Dies is a 2010 tragicomic novel by Paul Murray. It was shortlisted for the 2010 Costa Book Awards, longlisted for the 2010 Man Booker Prize, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.-Plot:...
was longlisted for the 2010 Booker Prize
Man Booker Prize
The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe. The winner of the Man Booker Prize is generally assured of international renown and...
and shortlisted for the 2010 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize
Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize
The Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize is the UK's only literary award for comic literature. Established in 2000 and named in honour of P G Wodehouse, past winners include Paul Torday in 2007 with Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and Marina Lewycka with A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian 2005 and...
for Comic Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award
National Book Critics Circle Award
The National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle to promote the finest books and reviews published in English....
for Fiction. It was also #3 on Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine's top ten works of fiction from 2010.