Emily O'Grady

Last updated
Emily O'Grady
Born1991 (age 33–34)
Brisbane, Australia
OccupationAuthor
Notable works Feast
Notable awards The Australian/Vogel Literary Award (2018)

Emily O'Grady (born 1991 [1] ) is an Australian author. She won the 2018 The Australian/Vogel Literary Award for her debut novel The Yellow House and was shortlisted for the 2024 Stella Prize for her second novel Feast . [2] [3] In 2024 she was one of three authors named as The Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelists. [4]

Contents

Early life and education

Emily O'Grady was born in 1991 in Brisbane, Australia. [1] She studied creative writing at university and initially planned to work in the publishing industry, but decided to pursue a career as an author after some of her short stories were published in literary journals. [5] She holds a PhD from the Queensland University of Technology, where she has also taught creative writing. [6] [7]

Career

O'Grady began writing her first novel, The Yellow House, as part of a course she undertook while studying towards a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Queensland University of Technology. [7] The novel is narrated by a 10-year-old girl named Cub whose grandfather committed a series of murders before she was born. [2] O'Grady has explained that she had been interested in true crime since she was a child, and that the novel had been inspired by the conviction of Matthew Milat, great-nephew of serial killer Ivan Milat, for murder. [5] The manuscript for The Yellow House was the winner of the 2018 The Australian/Vogel Literary Award and was published by Allen and Unwin in April 2018. [5] Louise Swinn reviewed the book in The Sydney Morning Herald , writing that it was a polished first novel with a dark and unsettling narrative and a chilling momentum. [2] In a review published in Australian Book Review , Jay Daniel Thompson praised O'Grady's storytelling skills and described the novel as having an understated air of suspense and intrigue. [8]

O'Grady's second novel, Feast , was published by Allen and Unwin in May 2023. [9] The work is a gothic novel that follows a reclusive couple living in a dilapidated Scottish mansion. [10] The novel's setting was loosely based on Craigend Castle, which had once belonged to one of O'Grady's maternal ancestors. [11] O'Grady undertook a trip to Scotland in 2019 to conduct research for the novel, where she walked the Cateran Trail and visited Craigend Castle. [11] The novel was positively received by reviewers upon its release and was shortlisted for the 2024 Stella Prize. [3] In The Sydney Morning Herald , Jo Case wrote that the novel invited readers to reappraise notions of consent and power in the post-#MeToo era and described it as unsettling and exquisitely paced. [12] In The Guardian , Bec Kavanagh described the novel as a "triumph" and praised O'Grady's rendering of her characters. [13]

Works

References

  1. 1 2 "What They're Reading Now with Emily O'Grady". Brisbane Writers Festival. 28 August 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Swinn, Louise (21 June 2018). "The Yellow House review: Emily O'Grady's Vogel-winning, chilling debut novel". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  3. 1 2 Lamond, Julieanne (1 May 2024). "Unruliness, activism and emotional intensity: your guide to the 2024 Stella Prize shortlist". The Conversation. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  4. ↑ Kembrey, Melanie (17 May 2024). "Three writers named 2024 Best Young Australian Novelists". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Romei, Stephen (23 April 2018). "Emily O'Grady wins The Australian-Vogel award for The Yellow House". The Australian. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  6. ↑ "Emily O'Grady". Faber Writing Academy. Allen and Unwin. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  7. 1 2 Roche, Helen. "The Spilled Ink-quisition – An Interview with Emily O'Grady". ScratchThat Magazine. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  8. ↑ Thompson, Jay Daniel (October 2018). "The Yellow House by Emily O'Grady". Australian Book Review. No. 405. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  9. ↑ "Feast by Emily O'Grady". Allen and Unwin. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  10. ↑ Kavanagh, Bec (22 June 2023). "Feast by Emily O'Grady review – tense and triumphant look at the unmet needs of women". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  11. 1 2 "The Stella Interview: Emily O'Grady". Stella Prize. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  12. ↑ Case, Jo (28 July 2023). "Three novels that delve into sex, consent and power after #MeToo". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  13. ↑ Kavanagh, Bec (22 June 2023). "Feast by Emily O'Grady review – tense and triumphant look at the unmet needs of women". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.