Lannan Literary Awards
4 appearances
Mary Morrissy
メアリー・モリッシー
Mearī Morisshī
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1957-01-25 （Dublin, Ireland）
- Nationality
- Irish
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Dublin, Ireland → New York, USA → Iowa City, USA → Cork, Ireland
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, short story writer, critic, journalist, creative writing lecturer
- Active Years
- 1980-
- Affiliations
- University College Dublin (teaching/visiting), Trinity College Dublin (teaching/visiting), University of Iowa (visiting/work), University College Cork (lecturer)
- Memberships
- Aosdána (Irish artists' and writers' academy)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rathmines College | — | — | — | — | Ireland |
| Technological University Dublin | — | — | — | — | Ireland |
Rathmines College
Country:
Ireland
Trained in journalism
Technological University Dublin
Country:
Ireland
Listed as an alumna of the institution
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Hennessy Literary Award | — | — | Hennessy / New Irish Writing | 受賞 |
| 1995 | Lannan Foundation Prize | — | — | Lannan Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2015 | Elected to Aosdána | — | — | Aosdána | 選出（会員） |
Hennessy Literary Award
1984
Organization:
Hennessy / New Irish Writing
Result:
受賞
Lannan Foundation Prize
1995
Organization:
Lannan Foundation
Result:
受賞
Elected to Aosdána
2015
Organization:
Aosdána
Result:
選出（会員）
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
A Lazy Eye
1993 Short story collectionA debut collection of short stories set in Dublin, noted for cool observation and precise psychological portraits of ordinary lives.
fragility of everyday liferuptures in relationshipsurban poverty
Mother of Pearl
1996 NovelA novel published in the 1990s focusing on interior lives of its characters.
memoryfamily
The Pretender
2000 NovelA novel that explores identity and deception, probing the boundaries between appearance and reality.
self and otherdeception
The Rising of Bella Casey
2013 Novel (biographical fiction)A reconstruction of the life of Sean O'Casey's sister Bella, depicting her struggles with poverty and difficult relationships.
female resiliencehistory and memory
Prosperity Drive
2016 Linked short stories / exploded novelAn 'exploded novel' of linked stories portraying a cast of Dublin characters confronting sex, death and loss.
lossurban lonelinessdesire and ruin
Penelope Unbound
2023 Novel (historical / alternative history)A novel imagining an alternative outcome for James Joyce and Nora Barnacle after arriving in Trieste in 1904, narrated from Nora's perspective.
reimagined historyfemale perspectiveregret and choice
Bibliography
- A Lazy Eye (1993)
- Mother of Pearl (1996)
- The Pretender (2000)
- The Rising of Bella Casey (2013)
- Prosperity Drive (2016)
- Penelope Unbound (2023)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- cool, observant proseprecise psychological portraituretone blending humour and compassion
- Recurring Motifs
- shadows of urban lifepoverty and survivalfamily conflict and memory
Legacy
Mary Morrissy is a Dublin-based writer acclaimed for both her short stories and novels. Critical praise and election to Aosdána mark her as an important voice in contemporary Irish literature.
Academic Societies
- Aosdána
Quotes
-
“Penelope Unbound is a novel of great brilliance and inventiveness, a remarkably — and mysteriously — moving story of what might have been.”
Source: John Banville (The Guardian, 2023) (2023)
Trivia
- Elected to Aosdána in 2015.
- Was a fellow at the New York Public Library in 2005–2006 and researched Sean O'Casey's sister.
- Has served as a lecturer in creative writing at University College Cork.