Roddy Doyle
|
Irish writer Roddy Doyle. |
Roddy Doyle (born May
1958 in
Dublin) is an
Irish novelist,
dramatist and
screenwriter. Several of his books have been made into successful
films, beginning with
The Commitments in
1991.
Doyle grew up in
Kilbarrack,
Dublin. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from
University College, Dublin. He spent several years as an
English and
geography teacher before becoming a full-time writer in 1993.
Novels
The Barrytown Trilogy:
**
The Commitments (1987, film 1991) — A group of Dublin teenagers, led by Jimmy Rabbitte Jr., decide to form a Soul band in the tradition of
James Brown.
**
The Snapper (1990, film 1993) — Jimmy's sister, Sharon, becomes pregnant by a friend's father. She is determined to have the child but refuses to reveal the father's identity to her family.
**
The Van (1991, shortlisted for the 1991
Booker Prize, film 1997) — Jimmy Sr. is laid off, as is his friend Bimbo. They both go in on a used fish and chips van and go into business for themselves.
*
Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha (1993, winner of the 1993
Booker Prize) — The world as described, understood and misunderstood by a ten-year-old Dubliner.
*
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors (1997) — a story of a battered wife, narrated by the victim; despite her husband's increasingly violent behaviour, she defends him, using the classic excuse "I walked into a door" to explain her bruises.
The Last Roundup:
**
A Star Called Henry (1999) — The story of Henry Smart from his childhood till early twenties.
**
Oh, Play That Thing! (2004) — Henry Smart's adventure into United States.
Short Stories
*
The Slave — Terry is middle aged, reads Cold Mountain and obsesses over a dead rat.
Non-Fiction
*
Rory and Ita ; about Doyle's parents
Theatre
*
Brown Bread (1987)
*
War (1989)
Television Screenplay
*
Family (1994) —
BBC serial which was the forerunner of the 1996 novel '
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors'.
Screenplays
*
When Brendan Met Trudy (2000) — An amusing, light-hearted tale of romance between a timid schoolteacher (Brendan) and a spunky thief (Trudy).
Children's books
*
The Giggler Treatment *
Rover Saves Christmas*
The Meanwhile Adventures*
Author page at Irish Writers Online
