Rachel Connolly | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1993 (age 31–32) |
| Alma mater | |
| Years active | 2018–present |
Rachel Connolly (born 1993) is an Irish author, journalist, critic and essayist. Her debut novel Lazy City (2023) won a Betty Trask Award.
Connolly was born in Belfast and is from a Catholic background. [1] Connolly attended Methodist College Belfast. [2] She graduated from the University of Manchester with a degree in maths and physics. [3]
After graduating from university, Connolly had her first full-time job working for an insurance company as a risk analyst. She took leave to pursue two newspaper internships, including at The Independent . In 2018, Connolly earned a Google Fellowship to join the RTÉ investigations department. During this time, she also started freelancing. [4] As a critic and essayist, Connolly has contributed to publications including The Guardian , the London Review of Books , the Financial Times , The New Republic , The Cut and The New York Times . [5]
In 2022, Canongate Books acquired the rights to publish Connolly's debut novel Lazy City in 2023. [6] The contemporary novel follows a character who moves back to Belfast from London after the death of a friend. [7] [8] [9] Lazy City won a Betty Trask Award [10] and was selected as an RTÉ Book of the Week by Aimée Walsh. [11] Connolly was named a summer 2023 emerging author by Dazed . [12]