Irish journalist, TV producer, book reviewer, teacher and writer
Nuala O'Faolain
(
; 1 March 1940
[1]
– 9 May 2008) was an
Irish
journalist, TV producer, book reviewer, teacher and writer. She became well known after the publication of her memoirs
Are You Somebody?
and
Almost There
. She wrote a biography of Irish criminal
Chicago May
and two novels.
Personal life
[
edit
]
O'Faolain was born in
Clontarf, Dublin
, the second eldest of nine children. Her father, known as 'TerryO' was a well-known Irish journalist, writing the "Dubliners Diary" social column under the pen name Terry O'Sullivan for the
Dublin Evening Press
. She was educated at
University College Dublin
, the
University of Hull
, and
Oxford University
.
[2]
She taught for a time at
Morley College
, and worked as a television producer for the
BBC
and
Raidio Teilifis Eireann
.
O'Faolain described her early life as growing up in a Catholic country which in her view feared sexuality and forbade her even information about her body.
[3]
In her writings she often discusses her frustration at the sexism and rigidity of roles in Catholic Ireland that expected her to marry and have children, neither of which she did.
O'Faolain was engaged at least once,
[4]
but she never married. In
Are You Somebody?
, she speaks candidly about her fifteen-year relationship with the journalist
Nell McCafferty
, who published her own memoir,
Nell
.
[5]
From 2002 until her death, O'Faolain lived much of the time with Brooklyn-based attorney John Low-Beer and his daughter Anna. They were registered as domestic partners in 2003.
O'Faolain split her time between Ireland and New York City.
[6]
She had been diagnosed with
metastatic cancer
and was interviewed on the
Marian Finucane
radio show on
RTE Radio 1
on 12 April 2008 in relation to her terminal illness.
[7]
She told Finucane, "I don't want more time. As soon as I heard I was going to die, the goodness went from life".
[8]
O'Faolain died during the night on 9 May 2008.
[9]
In 2012, RTE announced a major new documentary on her life.
[10]
Work
[
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]
She became internationally well known for her two volumes of memoir,
Are You Somebody?
and
Almost There
; a novel,
My Dream of You
; and a history with commentary,
The Story of Chicago May
. The first three were all featured on
The New York Times
Best Seller list
. Her posthumous novel
Best Love, Rosie
was published in 2009.
O'Faolain's formative years coincided with the emergence of the women's movement, and her ability to expose misogyny in all its forms was formidable, forensic and unremitting. However, O'Faolain's feminism stemmed from a fundamental belief in social justice. Unlike most commentators, who maintain a detached, lofty tone, O'Faolain, placed herself at the centre of things, a high-risk strategy that worked because of her broad range of erudition, worn lightly, her courage and a truthfulness that sometimes bordered on the self-destructive.
[11]
Awards
[
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]
Books
[
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]
- Are You Somebody? The Accidental Memoir of a Dublin Woman
, New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1996.
ISBN
0-8050-5663-7
- My Dream of You
, Riverhead Books, 2001.
ISBN
1-57322-177-5
- Almost There: The Onward Journey of a Dublin Woman
, Riverhead Books, 2003.
ISBN
1-57322-374-3
- The Story of Chicago May
, Riverhead Books, 2005.
ISBN
1-57322-320-4
- Best Love, Rosie
, New Island Books, 2009.
ISBN
978-1-84840-045-0
- A More Complex Truth
, New Island Books, 2010.
ISBN
1848400667
, reprinted as
A Radiant Life: The Selected Journalism of Nuala O’Faolain
, Harry N. Abrams 2011.
ISBN
0810998068
Further reading
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"
Nuala O'Faolain
" (obituary).
Telegraph
, 11 May 2008. Retrieved on 12 August 2009.
- ^
"Are You Somebody". Editorial Review (Amazon). Retrieved on 14 April 2008.
- ^
"Are You Somebody?" Nuala O'Faolain, New Island 1996, Introduction ix
- ^
"
Nuala O'Faolain
Archived
5 August 2007 at the
Wayback Machine
".
Penguin
. Retrieved on 14 April 2008.
- ^
Nolan, Yvonne. "
The Girl of Her Dreams
Archived
4 June 2009 at the
Wayback Machine
".
Publishers Weekly
, 3 December 2001. Retrieved on 14 April 2008.
- ^
"
Nuala O'Faolain
Archived
20 March 2009 at the
Wayback Machine
". BookBrowse.com, 15 February 2001. Retrieved on 14 April 2008.
- ^
"Podcast of radio interview of O'Faolain by Marian Finucane"
.
RTE
. 12 April 2008.
Archived
from the original on 25 March 2009
. Retrieved
10 January
2009
.
- ^
"
Nuala O' Faolain interview
Archived
15 April 2008 at the
Wayback Machine
".
Sunday Independent
, 13 April 2008. Retrieved on 14 April 2008.
- ^
"Nuala O'Faolain dies at 68"
.
RTE News
. 9 May 2008.
Archived
from the original on 13 May 2008
. Retrieved
10 May
2008
.
- ^
"RTE launches Spring Season on TV"
.
RTE Ten
. 16 January 2012.
Archived
from the original on 16 November 2012
. Retrieved
17 January
2012
.
There are also new documentaries about the Titanic, Nuala O'Faolain and Ireland's economic future.
- ^
"Nuala O'Faolain: Writer, journalist and broadcaster, she was a leading figure in modern Irish culture"
.
The Guardian
. 12 May 2008.
Archived
from the original on 20 November 2018
. Retrieved
25 December
2018
.
- ^
Caldwell, June (14 May 2008).
"
'She gave a voice to Irish women'
"
.
The Guardian
. Guardian.co.uk.
Archived
from the original on 8 March 2016
. Retrieved
12 November
2010
.
- ^
"
2006 Prix Femina winners announced
Archived
22 April 2008 at the
Wayback Machine
". literaryawards.vertebratesilence.com, 31 October 2006. Retrieved on 14 April 2008.
External links
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]
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