Smile (Doyle) - Author Bio

Author Bio
• Birth—May 8, 1958
• Where—Dublin, Ireland
• Education—B.A., University College Dublin
• Awards—Booker Prize (more below)
• Currently—lives in Dublin


Roddy Doyle is an Irish novelist, dramatist and screenwriter. He is the author of more than ten novels for adults, eight books for children, seven plays and screenplays, and dozens of short stories. He was awarded the Booker Prize in 1993 for his novel Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha.

Background
Doyle was born in Dublin and grew up in Kilbarrack, in a middle-class family. His mother, Ita Bolger Doyle, was a first cousin of the short story writer Maeve Brennan. Doyle graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from University College Dublin. He spent several years as an English and geography teacher before becoming a full-time writer in 1993. His personal notes and work books reside at the National Library of Ireland.

In addition to teaching, Doyle, along with Sean Love, established a creative writing centre, "Fighting Words", which opened in Dublin in January 2009. It was inspired by a visit to his friend Dave Eggers' 826 Valencia project in San Francisco. He has also engaged in local causes, including signing a petition supporting journalist Suzanne Breen, who faced gaol for refusing to divulge her sources in court, and joining a protest against an attempt by Dublin City Council to construct 9 ft-high barriers which would interfere with one of his favourite views.

In 1987 Doyle married Belinder Moller, granddaughter of former Irish President Erskine Hamilton Childers. They have three children; Rory, Jack and Kate.

Work
Doyle's writing is marked by heavy use of dialogue between characters, with little description or exposition. His work is largely set in Ireland, with a focus on the lives of working-class Dubliners. Themes range from domestic and personal concerns to larger questions of Irish history.

Novels for adults
Doyle's first three novels, The Commitments (1987), The Snapper (1990) and The Van (1991) comprise "The Barrytown Trilogy,"centred on the Rabbitte family, from their teens into adulthood. All three novels were made into successful films

In 1993, Doyle published Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, winner of the 1993 Man Booker Prize, which showed the world as described, understood and misunderstood by a ten-year-old Dubliner living in 1968.

Doyle's next novel dealt with darker themes. The Woman Who Walked into Doors (1996), is the story of a battered wife, narrated by the victim Paula Spencer, who returns 10 years later, in Paula Spencer (2006).

Doyle's most recent trilogy of adult novels is "The Last Roundup" series, which follows the adventures of protagonist Henry Smart through several decades, from Ireland to America and back again. The titles include A Star Called Henry (1999), Oh, Play That Thing! (2004), and The Dead Republic (2010).

Doyle's most recent books are three novellas: Two Pints (2012), The Guts (2013), and Two More Pints (2014). The Guts continues the story of the Rabbitte family from the earlier Barrytown Trilogy, focusing on a 48-year-old Jimmy Rabbite and his diagnosis of cancer.

Novels for children
Doyle has also written many novels for children, including "The Rover Adventures" series, which includes The Giggler Treatment (2000), Rover Saves Christmas (2001), and The Meanwhile Adventures (2004). Other children's books include Wilderness (2007), Her Mother's Face (2008), and A Greyhound of a Girl (2011).

Plays, screenplays, short stories and non-fiction
Doyle is also a prolific dramatist, composing four plays and two screenplays. His plays with the Passion Machine Theatre company include Brownbread (1987) and War (1989), directed by Paul Mercier with set and costume design by Anne Gately. designed by Later plays include The Woman Who Walked into Doors (2003); and a rewrite of The Playboy of the Western World (2007) with Bisi Adigun.

Screenplays include the television screenplay for Family (1994), which was a BBC/RTE serial and the forerunner of the 1996 novel The Woman Who Walked into Doors. Doyle also authored When Brendan Met Trudy (2000), which is a romance about a timid schoolteacher (Brendan) and a spunky thief (Trudy).

Doyle has written numerous short stories, several of which have been published in The New Yorker; they have also been compiled in two collections. The Deportees and Other Stories was published in 2007, while the collection Bullfighting was published in 2011. Doyle's story "New Boy" was adapted into a 2008 Academy Award-nominated short film directed by Steph Green.

Awards
1991 - BAFTA Award (Best Adapted Screenplay): The Commitments
1993 - Man Booker Prize: Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha
2009 - Irish PEN Award
2011 - French Literary Award: The Snapper
2013 - Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards (Novel of the Year): The Guts
(Author bio adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 11/10/2017.)