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 talented writer from Ireland. He writes both novels (fiction) and non-fiction books. His famous novel, Netherland, won two big 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.
His parents moved around a lot when he was young. Joseph lived in Mozambique as a toddler. He also lived in Turkey until he was four years old. Later, he spent time living in Iran. From the age of six, Joseph lived in the Netherlands. There, he went to the Lycée français de La Haye and the British School in the Netherlands.
He studied law at Girton College, Cambridge University. He chose law over English literature because he wanted to keep literature as a fun hobby. Joseph first started writing poetry. However, he stopped writing poems by the time he was 24. After becoming a lawyer in London in 1987, he spent a year writing his first novel. He then worked full-time as a lawyer, mainly in business law. Since 1998, he has lived in New York City.
Joseph O'Neill's Writing Career
Famous Books and Stories
Joseph O'Neill has written five novels. He is most famous for his novel Netherland. This book was published 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 book about life in New York and London after the World Trade Center attacks. The New York Times also put it on their list of the 10 Best Books of 2008.
A famous literary critic, James Wood, said it was one of the most amazing books he had ever read. In June 2009, US President Barack Obama told the BBC that he was reading Netherland. He described it as "an excellent novel."
Netherland was a favorite to win the Man Booker Prize. However, it did not make the final shortlist in September 2008. Despite this, the book won the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. It also received the 2009 Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award. It was also a finalist for the Dublin International IMPAC Award.
His next novel, The Dog, came out in 2014. It was considered for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. 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 published in June 2024. It was a Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction.
O'Neill also wrote Good Trouble in 2018. This is a collection of short stories. Most of these stories first appeared in The New Yorker or Harper's magazine. Two of his stories have won an O. Henry prize. Other stories have been included in collections like:
- New Irish Short Stories (2011)
- Faber Book of Best New Irish Short Stories (2007)
- Dislocation: Stories from a New Ireland (2003)
- Phoenix Irish Short Stories (1999)
Joseph O'Neill has also written a non-fiction book. It is 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 political essays. These essays appear in the New York Review of Books. He has also written about literature and culture. Some of his writings have been in The Atlantic Monthly.
Teaching and Education
Joseph O'Neill is a special visiting professor. He teaches written arts at Bard College.
Joseph O'Neill's Personal Life
Joseph O'Neill speaks English, French, and Dutch. He used to play club cricket 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, Hans, in his novel Netherland. He still loves cricket and plays actively.
In an interview in 2014, O'Neill talked about why he wrote about Dubai in The Dog. He said he has moved around so much and lived in many different places. Because of this, he feels he doesn't truly belong to one specific place. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, who is also a writer, Rivka Galchen.
