Niall Williams
Born (1958-06-08) June 8, 1958
Dublin, Ireland
OccupationNovelist, playwright, screenwriter
NationalityIrish
Alma materUniversity College Dublin
GenreFiction, literary fiction, magic realism, historical fiction
Notable worksFour Letters of Love (1997)
As It Is In Heaven (1999)
John (2008)
History of the Rain (2014)
This is Happiness (2019)
SpouseChristine Breen
ChildrenDeirdre, Joseph
Website
www.niallwilliams.com

Niall Williams is an Irish writer.

He has written novels, plays and non-fiction. His work has been translated into twenty different languages.[1]

Biography

Williams was born in Dublin, Ireland on June 8, 1958. While there was not an endless supply of books in the family home, his father, keen for Williams to excel academically would take Williams to Pembroke Library every two weeks where he was spoiled for choice. He attended Oatlands College, a boys’ school in Stillorgan, County Dublin.[2] He studied English and French Literature at University College Dublin, where he met his wife, American writer and editor Christine Breen. He graduated with an Masters of Arts in Modern American literature in 1980.

His first published story was printed in The Irish Press when he was eighteen.[3] A £25 cheque for his first story, and a nod of approval was the confirmation he needed to from the world to dedicate his life to writing.[4]

After a year lecturing at the Université de Caen in Normandy, he moved to New York. He worked briefly at Fox and Sutherland’s bookstore in Mount Kisco, New York, near his wife’s home town of Katonah before becoming a copywriter at Avon Books.[5]

In 1985, Williams returned to Ireland and moved to Kilmihil, County Clare. He and Christine began writing factual accounts of life in rural Ireland.[5]

Writing career

Non-fiction and drama

His first four books were non-fiction chronicles of rural life in County Clare in the decade prior to the Celtic Tiger, co-written with Breen.

In 1991, Williams’ first play, The Murphy Initiative, was staged at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.[6] His second play, A Little Like Paradise, was produced on the Peacock stage of the Abbey Theatre in 1995.[6] His third play, The Way You Look Tonight, was produced by Galway’s Druid Theatre Company in 1999.[6]

Early novels

Four Letters of Love, Williams' first novel, was published in 1997. It went on to become an international bestseller and has been published in over twenty countries.

The Fall of Light was set in the nineteen century and was Williams’ first foray into historical fiction.

Expanse into different styles

In 2006, Williams’ published his novella, The Unrequited. He also wrote two young adult novels, Boy in the World (2007) and Boy and Man (2008).

Faha novels

In 2014, Williams started a series of novels set in a fictional village in the west of Ireland called Faha. Similar to Macondo in the works of Gabriel García Márquez, Faha is a village steeped in magic realism which acts as a backdrop for Williams’ stories.[7][8][9]

Recognition

Four Letters of Love

As It Is In Heaven

The Fall of Light

  • Longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2000[12]

History of the Rain

This is Happiness

Novels

  • Four Letters Of Love (1997)[10]
  • As It Is In Heaven (1999)[14]
  • The Way You Look Tonight (2000)[15]
  • The Fall of Light (2001)[16]
  • Only Say the Word (2005)[17]
  • The Unrequited (2006)[18]
  • Boy in the World (2007)[19]
  • Boy and Man (2008)[20]
  • Williams, Niall (2008). John: A Novel. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-59691-935-8.
  • Williams, Niall (2015). History of the Rain: a novel (Paperback ed.). New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-62040-770-7.
  • Williams, Niall (2019). This Is Happiness. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-5266-0936-6.
  • The Unrequited (2021) (novella) [21]

Non-Fiction (with Christine Breen)

  • O Come Ye Back to Ireland (1987)
  • When Summer’s in the Meadow (1989)
  • The Pipes are Calling (1990)
  • The Luck of the Irish (1995)
  • In Kiltumper: A Year in an Irish Garden (2021)

Personal life

Williams and Breen have two adult children, Deirdre and Joseph, and live in County Clare.[22]

Williams and Breen teach creative writing workshops in Kiltumper. Williams does not read reviews.[23]

References

  1. ↑ Williams, Niall (3 November 2015). Four Letters of Love. ISBN 978-1-63286-318-8.
  2. ↑ "Famous Alumni". A brief history of Oatlands College. 4 November 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  3. ↑ Books Ireland website
  4. ↑ admin (13 January 2020). "Niall Williams (61): This Literary Life - Books Ireland". Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Niall Williams - Irish Writer from Kiltumper, Ireland". www.niallwilliams.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 team, Code8. "Niall Williams". Peters Fraser and Dunlop (PFD) Literary Agents. Retrieved 9 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ Bloomsbury.com. "History of the Rain". Bloomsbury Publishing. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Longlist 2014 announced | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  9. 1 2 Bloomsbury.com. "This Is Happiness". Bloomsbury Publishing. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  10. 1 2 "Miracles Happen". The New York Times. 9 November 1997. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  11. ↑ "100 Books chosen for Literary Award". The Irish Times. 10 October 1998. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  12. ↑ "Niall Williams - Irish Writer from Kiltumper, Ireland". www.niallwilliams.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  13. ↑ "An Post Irish Book Awards » Shortlist unveiled for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2019". Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  14. ↑ "Novel of the week". New Statesman. 5 July 1999. Archived from the original on 11 January 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  15. ↑ https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/niall-williams/
  16. ↑ Sweeney, Eamonn (13 October 2001). "Gaelic revival". The Guardian. London, UK. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  17. ↑ Fiona Hamilton, Sean O'Neill (16 January 2005). "Fiction: Only Say the Word". The Sunday Times. London, UK. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  18. ↑ "The Unrequited by Niall Williams". www.fantasticfiction.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  19. ↑ "Into the mystic". Irish Independent. 3 March 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  20. ↑ "In a realm of higher purpose". The Irish Times. 7 July 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  21. ↑ https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/niall-williams/
  22. ↑ "Niall Williams - Biography". Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  23. ↑ Books Ireland website
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