Megan Nolan

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Megan Nolan
Born1990 (age 34–35)
County Waterford, Ireland
OccupationJournalist, novelist
Notable works Acts of Desperation (2021)

Megan Nolan (born 1990) is an Irish author and journalist known for introspective fiction and polemic essays. She gained critical prominence after releasing her debut novel, Acts of Desperation, concerning complexities of desire and self-doubt through the lens of a young woman navigating a tumultuous relationship. It was well-received and longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, receiving a Betty Trask Award in 2022. Her following novel, Ordinary Human Failings, which follows the investigation into the death of a young British girl, the daughter of an immigrant family serving as a scapegoat, was shortlisted for a number of awards. These works explore psychological and structural forces that shape families, communities, and romances. Described as a “huge literary talent” by Karl Ove Knausgaard, Nolan also writes essays, fiction and reviews which have been published in The New York Times, The White Review, The Village Voice, The Guardian and the literary anthology, Winter Papers. [1]

Contents

Biography

Nolan's father – Jim Nolan – was a theatre director and founder of the Red Kettle Theatre Company based in Waterford. [2] [3] She studied film studies and French at Trinity College Dublin, but dropped out before completion of her studies. [3] [4]

She has written essays and literary criticism for the New Statesman . [5]

Acts of Desperation won a Betty Trask Award for debut novels in 2022. [6] Ordinary Human Failings was shortlisted for the 2023 Gordon Burn Prize for "books that push boundaries, cross genres or otherwise challenge readers' expectations", [7] [8] as well as for the 2024 Encore Award, given by the Royal Society of Literature to celebrate the "difficult second novel" that follows an author's literary debut. [9]

Awards

YearWorkAwardCategoryResultRef
2021Acts of Desperation Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award —Shortlisted [10]
2022 Betty Trask Prize and Awards Betty Trask AwardWon [11]
Dylan Thomas Prize —Longlisted [12]
2023Ordinary Human Failings Gordon Burn Prize —Shortlisted [13]
Nero Book Awards FictionShortlisted [14]
2024 Encore Award —Shortlisted
Orwell Prize Political FictionShortlisted [15]

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ Nolan, Megan. "Megan Nolan". megannolan.org. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  2. ↑ Brennan, Marjorie (24 October 2022). "Book interview: Megan Nolan on discovering one of Waterford's best-known authors". IrishExaminer.com .
  3. 1 2 Clark, Alex (26 February 2021). "Megan Nolan: 'When I think back, the way I drank was crazy. Everyone I knew did it'". TheGuardian.com .
  4. ↑ McGrath, Maedhbh (8 July 2023). "Megan Nolan: 'In England, you're supposed to hate someone who has a tiny bit more than you'". Independent.ie .
  5. ↑ Feigel, Lara (3 March 2021). "Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan review – learning to say no". TheGuardian.com .
  6. ↑ "The Betty Trask Prize | Past Winners", The Society of Authors. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  7. ↑ Creamer, Ella (25 January 2024). "Gordon Burn prize announces 'blazing' shortlist". The Guardian .
  8. ↑ Lane, Harriet (4 February 2024). "A Dead Child, Too Much Booze and a Family in Crisis". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  9. ↑ Spanoudi, Melina (30 May 2024). "Novels by Isabella Hammad and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ vying for the 10k Encore Award". The Bookseller. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  10. ↑ team, Code8. "Past Years". Young Writer of the Year Award. Retrieved 8 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ "Irish writers short-listed for the 2022 Society of Authors Awards". Books Ireland Magazine. 11 May 2022.
  12. ↑ "Here is the longlist for the 2022 Dylan Thomas Prize". Literary Hub. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  13. ↑ Creamer, Ella (25 January 2024). "Gordon Burn prize announces 'blazing' shortlist". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  14. ↑ Creamer, Ella (21 November 2023). "Paul Murray and Fern Brady shortlisted for inaugural Nero awards". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  15. ↑ "Orwell Prizes 2024 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
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