Jamie O'Neill facts for kids

Jamie O'Neill (born 1 January 1962) is an Irish author famous for his novel, At Swim, Two Boys. Published in 2001, the book was a huge success. It received the largest advance payment ever for a novel by an Irish writer at the time.

Many critics have compared his unique writing style to other great Irish authors like James Joyce and Samuel Beckett. O'Neill currently lives in County Galway, Ireland. Before moving back to Ireland, he lived in England for twenty years.

Early Life and Education

Jamie O'Neill was born in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, in 1962. He was the youngest of four children. He went to Presentation College in Glasthule, a school run by the Presentation Brothers.

Growing up, his family didn't have many books. He discovered his love for reading at Christmas when he received a copy of Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. It was the first book he ever finished, and it showed him that reading could be fun.

O'Neill had a challenging childhood and left home at 17 to make his own way in the world. He later said he also learned a lot from "the city streets of London, the beaches of Greece."

Career as a Writer

Starting Out

When O'Neill was a young man, he moved to England. He had a close friendship with the TV presenter Russell Harty, who saw his talent and encouraged him to get his writing published.

After his friend passed away in 1988, O'Neill went through a very difficult time. He published his first two novels, Disturbance (1989) and Kilbrack (1990). However, he struggled with his writing and took a job as a night porter at a hospital in London. He worked there for ten years, from 1990 to 2000.

Breakthrough with 'At Swim, Two Boys'

During his time as a night porter, O'Neill spent ten years writing his most famous book, At Swim, Two Boys. The novel was finally published in 2001 and became a major success.

The book was so popular that it was compared to the works of the famous Irish writer James Joyce. The success of At Swim, Two Boys allowed O'Neill to leave his job and become a full-time writer. A decade after it was published, one newspaper called it an "unforgettable" book from a "vintage year in Irish writing."

O'Neill's Thoughts on Writing

O'Neill has shared his feelings about the writing process. He finds his greatest happiness when he is deeply focused on his work.

...the happiest place for me isn't Galway or Dublin, or Ireland, or France. It's the middle of a paragraph. When I was working on At Swim, Two Boys, I would be riding the bus, and the last sentence I'd written would still be ringing in my ears, and nothing else mattered but the positioning of an adverb. That's happiness.

—Jamie O'Neill discusses happiness, "Language of Love", a Metro Weekly interview with Jonathan Padget from 9 May 2002

His advice for other writers is simple but powerful.

The only advice I could ever give to anybody is to be true and persevere.

—Jamie O'Neill's advice to writers, "Language of Love", a Metro Weekly interview with Jonathan Padget from 9 May 2002

Awards and Recognition

For his novel At Swim, Two Boys, Jamie O'Neill has won several awards, including:

• Ferro-Grumley Award for Fiction
• Lambda Literary Award for Fiction

In 2010, he was chosen as one of the Irish writers to attend the European Writers Conference in Istanbul.