World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Mike McCormack

マイク・マコーマック

Maiku Makkōmakku

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1965 （London, England）
Nationality
Ireland
Languages
English
Residence History
Louisburgh, County Mayo → Galway

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Short story writer, Lecturer, Director, MA in Creative Writing (University of Galway)
Active Years
1996-
Affiliations
University of Galway, Aosdána
Memberships
Aosdána

Education

National University of Ireland, Galway (University of Galway)
English and Philosophy
Country: Ireland
Studied English and philosophy.

Awards

Rooney Prize for Irish Literature
1996
Work: Getting It In the Head (short story collection)
Organization: Rooney Prize
Result: 受賞
Goldsmiths Prize
2016
Work: Solar Bones
Organization: Goldsmiths Prize
Result: 受賞
International Dublin Literary Award
2018
Work: Solar Bones
Organization: International Dublin Literary Award
Result: 受賞（賞金€100,000）
An Post Irish Book of the Year
2016
Work: Solar Bones
Organization: Irish Book Awards
Result: 小説・年間最優秀作品

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Getting It In the Head

1996 Short story collection

Debut short story collection showcasing early experimental pieces and recurring themes.

memoryidentityrural vs urban life
Adaptations
  • [Short film] The Terms / Johnny O'Reilly / Jason LaMotte (2000)
  • [Short film] The Terms / Jason LaMotte (2010)

Crowe's Requiem

1998 Novel

Follows John Crowe, who suffers from a progeria-like condition and leaves his isolated rural childhood for the city, entering turbulent relationships and a risky medical trial.

ageingthe body and alterationisolation

Notes from a Coma

2005 Novel (dystopian elements)

Set in a floating prison where inmates are kept in maintained comas. A major work taking seven years to write and widely acclaimed.

individual vs stateconsciousness and unconsciousnesssurveillance/managed society

Solar Bones

2016 Novel (experimental style)

An experimental novel that follows Marcus, a civil engineer in rural Ireland, rendered largely as a single long sentence. Winner of several major prizes including the Goldsmiths Prize and the International Dublin Literary Award.

memoryfamilythe wonder of everyday life

This Plague of Souls

2023 Novel

A mysterious homecoming in which a man returning from prison finds his family house strangely empty.

returnfragmented memorymystery

Forensic Songs

2012 Short story collection

Collection of short stories exploring crime, death and memory.

deathinvestigationevidence and memory

Bibliography

  • Getting It In the Head (1996)
  • Forensic Songs (2012)
  • Crowe's Requiem (1998)
  • Notes from a Coma (2005)
  • Solar Bones (2016)
  • This Plague of Souls (2023)

Adaptations

  • Short film adaptation of 'The Terms' (2000, 2010)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Experimental, condensed proseFrequent use of interior monologue and stream-of-consciousnessOccasionally written as an extended single sentence
Recurring Motifs
memory and the pastfamily and homelandthe uncanny in everyday lifethe body and ageing

Legacy

Mike McCormack is an important contemporary Irish writer known for experimental prose and deep introspection. 'Solar Bones' brought him international recognition and major awards. He is also active as an educator, mentoring emerging writers.

Academic Societies

  • Aosdána

Quotes

  • If I've one gift as a writer, it's patience.
    Source: The Guardian (interview) (2023)

Trivia

  • Born in London in 1965 but grew up in Louisburgh, County Mayo.
  • 'Solar Bones' is written largely as one sentence and won the Goldsmiths Prize in 2016.
  • The short story 'The Terms' was adapted into short films in 2000 and 2010.