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Caoilinn Hughes

カオリン・ヒューズ

Caoilinn Hughes

Profile

Gender
Female
Nationality
Irish
Languages
English
Residence History
Belfast, Northern Ireland → Wellington, New Zealand → Dublin, Ireland

Career

Occupations
novelist, short story writer, poet, writer
Active Years
2014-
Affiliations
Trinity College Dublin (Writer Fellow, 2021), James Merrill House (Fellow, Stonington, CT, 2016)
Nominations
Hearst Big Book Award: Orchid & the Wasp (shortlisted), Butler Literary Award: Orchid & the Wasp (shortlisted), Authors' Club Best First Novel Award: Orchid & the Wasp (longlisted), International Dublin Literary Award 2020: Orchid & the Wasp (longlisted), An Post Irish Book Awards (Novel of the Year 2020): The Wild Laughter (shortlisted), RTÉ Radio 1 Listeners' Choice Award: The Wild Laughter (shortlisted), Dalkey Literary Award (Emerging Writer): The Wild Laughter (shortlisted), Dylan Thomas Prize 2021: The Wild Laughter (longlisted)

Education

Queen's University Belfast
English Literature
Degree: BA, MA
Country: Northern Ireland, UK
Victoria University of Wellington
English Literature
Degree: PhD
Country: New Zealand
PhD in English Literature

Awards

Irish Times Shine/Strong Award
2015
Work: Gathering Evidence (poetry collection)
Organization: The Irish Times
Result: winner
Collyer Bristow Prize
2019
Work: Orchid & the Wasp
Organization: The London Magazine / Collyer Bristow
Result: winner
The Moth Short Story Prize
2018
Work: "Psychobabble"
Organization: The Moth
Result: winner
O. Henry Award
2019
Work: "Prime"
Organization: O. Henry Awards
Result: winner
writing.ie Short Story of the Year (An Post Irish Book Awards)
2020
Work: winning short story
Organization: An Post Irish Book Awards
Result: winner
Encore Award
2021
Work: The Wild Laughter
Organization: Royal Society of Literature
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Gathering Evidence

2014 Poetry collection

A poetry collection exploring family, memory and self through a series of short poems and sequences.

familymemoryidentity

Orchid & the Wasp

2018 Novel

Debut novel that depicts a young woman's relationships, desires and social context with wit and cool observation.

young adulthoodrelationshipsidentity

The Wild Laughter

2020 Novel (family saga)

An epic family saga set in rural Ireland that darkly and humorously examines loss, rural life and assisted suicide.

familyrural lifelossethics and death

The Alternatives

2024 Novel

A novel about four sisters, exploring talent, conflict and family history to portray contemporary women's relationships.

sisterhoodreconstructing familyfemale experience

Bibliography

  • Gathering Evidence (poetry collection, 2014)
  • Orchid & the Wasp (novel, 2018)
  • The Wild Laughter (novel, 2020)
  • The Alternatives (novel, 2024)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
precise, observant proseblend of dark humor and cool-eyed insight
Recurring Motifs
familylossrural settings / homelandfemale agency

Legacy

A prominent contemporary Irish writer whose work across poetry, short stories and novels has received international recognition for its treatment of family, rural life and loss.

Academic Societies

  • Royal Society of Literature (associated award)

Trivia

  • Won the Irish Times Shine/Strong Award in 2015 for the poetry collection 'Gathering Evidence'.
  • Won The Moth Short Story Prize in 2018 for 'Psychobabble'.
  • Won an O. Henry Award in 2019 for the short story 'Prime'.
  • Won the Collyer Bristow Prize in 2019 for 'Orchid & the Wasp'.
  • Won the Royal Society of Literature Encore Award in 2021 for 'The Wild Laughter'.
  • Served as Writer Fellow at Trinity College Dublin in 2021.