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Anne Enright

アン・エンライト

Anne Enright

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1962-10-11 （Dublin, Ireland）
Nationality
Irish
Languages
English
Residence History
Dublin, Ireland → Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland → Dún Laoghaire area, Ireland

Career

Occupations
Writer, Short story writer, Essayist, Television producer (former), Academic / Lecturer
Active Years
1991-
Affiliations
Royal Society of Literature (Fellow), Aosdána (elected 2021), Laureate for Irish Fiction (inaugural, 2015–2018)
Memberships
Royal Society of Literature (Fellow), Aosdána (Irish academy of arts)
Influenced By
Angela Carter, Malcolm Bradbury, Flann O'Brien
Nominations
Whitbread Awards (novel) shortlist (What Are You Like?), Orange Prize (Women's Prize) shortlist (The Forgotten Waltz), Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist (The Wren, The Wren)

Education

Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific (Victoria, British Columbia)
International Baccalaureate (IB) programme
Period: 2年間（IB）
Country: Canada
Trinity College Dublin
English and Philosophy
Degree: BA
Country: Ireland
University of East Anglia (Creative Writing)
Creative Writing
Degree: MA
Country: United Kingdom
Attended on a Chevening Scholarship. Studied under Angela Carter and Malcolm Bradbury.

Awards

Rooney Prize for Irish Literature
1991
Work: The Portable Virgin (short stories)
Result: 受賞
Encore Award
2001
Work: What Are You Like?
Result: 受賞
Davy Byrne's Irish Writing Award
2004
Result: 受賞
Man Booker Prize
2007
Work: The Gathering
Result: 受賞
Irish Novel of the Year (Irish Book Awards)
2008
Work: The Gathering
Result: 受賞
Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
2012
Work: The Forgotten Waltz
Result: 受賞
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
2010
Organization: Royal Society of Literature
Result: 選出/フェロー
Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award
2016
Work: The Green Road
Result: 受賞
Irish PEN Award for Literature
2017
Organization: Irish PEN
Result: 受賞
Elected member of Aosdána
2021
Organization: Aosdána
Result: 選出
Windham‑Campbell Prize
2025
Result: 受賞（生涯業績に対する表彰）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Wig My Father Wore

1995 Novel (contemporary fiction)

Her first novel set in Dublin exploring motherhood, love and the influence of the Catholic Church; the narrator Grace's life mixes the mundane and the uncanny.

motherhoodfamilyreligion

What Are You Like?

2000 Novel

A novel about twin sisters separated at birth and raised apart; it examines family tensions and questions of identity.

twinsfamilyidentity

The Pleasure of Eliza Lynch

2002 Historical fiction

A fictionalised account of Eliza Lynch, consort of Paraguayan president Francisco Solano López, charting her rise and influence in 19th-century Paraguay.

historypowerwomen's roles

The Gathering

2007 Novel

A novel centered on a family gathering that uncovers secrets and traumatic memories; it examines family dynamics and culpability. Winner of the 2007 Man Booker Prize.

familymemoryguilt and trauma

The Forgotten Waltz

2011 Novel

A novel about middle-aged infidelity and its consequences; a finely observed study of desire and relationships. Winner of the 2012 Carnegie Medal for Fiction.

lovedesiremiddle-age solitude

The Green Road

2015 Novel

Follows a mother and her children across decades, tracing family changes against the backdrop of social change in Ireland. Winner of the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award.

familynostalgiasocial change

Actress

2020 Novel

Tells the story of a mother's rise and fall in theatre, Broadway and Hollywood as recounted by her daughter; explores celebrity, memory and loss.

famefamilymemory

The Wren, the Wren

2023 Novel

A recent novel weaving family, secrets and fragments of memory; shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction.

familysecretsmemory

Making Babies: Stumbling into Motherhood

2004 Non-fiction (essays)

A candid and often humorous collection of essays about childbirth and motherhood based on her own experiences.

motherhoodchildbirthparenting

Bibliography

  • The Portable Virgin (1991)
  • The Wig My Father Wore (1995)
  • What Are You Like? (2000)
  • The Pleasure of Eliza Lynch (2002)
  • Making Babies: Stumbling into Motherhood (2004)
  • The Gathering (2007)
  • Taking Pictures (short stories, 2008)
  • Yesterday's Weather (2009)
  • The Forgotten Waltz (2011)
  • The Green Road (2015)
  • Actress (2020)
  • The Wren, the Wren (2023)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Sharp psychological observation with a restrained yet witty narrative voiceContemporary realism often blended with occasional surreal or uncanny elements
Recurring Motifs
familymotherhoodmemory and traumalove and desire

Health

  • Mental health breakdown
    1990年代（テレビ制作から作家へ転向する時期）
    She has stated that a breakdown led her to leave television and commit to full-time writing.

Legacy

A leading Irish writer internationally recognised for sharp observations on family and motherhood. Winner of the Man Booker Prize among other awards, she has also promoted literary engagement as Laureate for Irish Fiction and through teaching.

Academic Societies

  • Aosdána
  • Royal Society of Literature (Fellow)

In Popular Culture

  • Frequent contributions and coverage in major literary outlets such as The New Yorker

Quotes

  • I recommend having a breakdown early. If your life just falls apart early on, you can put it together again.
    Source: Interview (The Guardian, among others) (2007)

Trivia

  • Served as inaugural Laureate for Irish Fiction (2015–2018).
  • Won the 2007 Man Booker Prize for The Gathering.
  • Won the 2012 Carnegie Medal for The Forgotten Waltz.
  • Has contributed to The New Yorker in multiple years.