Joseph O'Neill (writer, born 1964) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joseph O'Neill
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O'Neill at the 2010 Texas Book Festival
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| Born | 23 February 1964 Cork, Ireland |
| Occupation | lawyer, fiction writer, cultural critic |
| Period | 1991–present |
| Notable works | Netherland |
Joseph O'Neill is a writer from Ireland. He writes both novels (fiction) and non-fiction books. His famous novel, Netherland, won two important awards in 2009: the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award.
Contents
Joseph O'Neill's Early Life
Joseph O'Neill was born in Cork, Ireland, on February 23, 1964. His family background is half-Irish and half-Turkish.
O'Neill's parents moved a lot when he was young. He lived in Mozambique as a baby and in Turkey until he was four. He also spent time in Iran. From age six, O'Neill lived in the Netherlands. There, he went to the French school in The Hague and the British School in the Netherlands.
He later studied law at Girton College, Cambridge University. He chose law because he wanted to keep literature as a fun hobby. Before becoming a lawyer, he tried writing poetry. However, he stopped writing poems by the time he was 24. After finishing law school in 1987, he wrote his first novel. Then, O'Neill worked full-time as a barrister (a type of lawyer) in London. He mainly worked on business law cases. Since 1998, he has lived in New York City.
His Writing Career
Famous Books and Stories
Joseph O'Neill has written five novels. He is most famous for Netherland. This book came out in May 2008. It was even featured on the cover of New York Times Book Review. The review called it a very smart and powerful story about life in New York and London after the World Trade Center attacks.
The New York Times also put Netherland on its list of the 10 Best Books of 2008. A famous book critic, James Wood, said it was one of the most amazing books he had ever read. In 2009, US President Barack Obama even mentioned in an interview that he was reading Netherland and called it "an excellent novel."
Netherland was a favorite to win the Man Booker Prize. However, it did not make the final list of nominees in September 2008. Still, the book won the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. It also won the 2009 Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award. It was also considered for the Dublin International IMPAC Award.
His next novel, The Dog (published in 2014), was also considered for the Man Booker Prize. The New York Times named it a Notable Book of 2014. It was also a finalist for the Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction. His newest novel, Godwin, was released in June 2024.
O'Neill has also written a collection of short stories called Good Trouble (2018). Most of these stories first appeared in The New Yorker or Harper's magazine. Two of his stories have won an O. Henry prize.
He also wrote a non-fiction book called Blood-Dark Track: A Family History. This book was a New York Times Notable Book for 2002. It was also named a Book of the Year by The Economist and Irish Times.
Since 2019, O'Neill has been writing essays about politics for the New York Review of Books. He has also written about literature and culture for The Atlantic Monthly magazine.
Teaching and Sharing Knowledge
Joseph O'Neill is a special visiting professor at Bard College. He teaches students about written arts there.
Joseph O'Neill's Personal Life
O'Neill speaks several languages. He can speak English, French, and Dutch. He loves playing cricket. He played for clubs in the Netherlands and the UK. For many years, he has played for the Staten Island Cricket Club. This is similar to the main character in his novel Netherland. He still plays cricket actively today.
In an interview in 2014, O'Neill explained why he likes writing about different places. He said he has moved around so much that he doesn't feel like he belongs to just one place.
