Irish Writers Online / Author
Dermot Bolger
Dermot Bolger was born in Finglas, North Dublin, in 1959. He foundedand edited the Raven Arts Press, Dublin, from 1979 to 1992. His novels are Night Shift, (Kerry, Brandon Books, 1982) ; TheWoman's Daughter, (Dublin, Raven Arts Press, 1987, revised andenlarged editon by Penguin, London 1991); The Journey Home (London,Viking, 1990/University of Texas Press, 2008) ; Emily's Shoes, (Viking, 1992); A Second Life (London, Penguin, 1994); Father's Music(London, Flamingo, 1997); Temptation (Flamingo,2000); The Valparaiso Voyage (Flamingo, 2001); and The Family on Paradise Pier (London, 4th Estate, 2005).
His plays are The Lament for Arthur Cleary*, (Dublin, The ProjectTheatre, 1989); Blinded by the Light, (Dublin, The Abbey Theatre, Peacock stage, 1990); In High Germany* (Dublin, The Gate Theatre,1990); The Holy Ground* (The Gate Theatre, 1990); One Last White Horse (The Peacock, 1991) [*Penguin Books, London, as A Dublin Quartet, 1992]; Greatest Hits, One Act Plays (New Island Books, 1997); April Bright/Blinded by the Light (Dublin, The Peacock Stage, and London, Nick Hern Books, 1997);The Passion of Jerome (The Peacock, 1999; Methuen, London, 1999);
From These Green Heights (AXIS - Ballymun Arts and Community Resource Centre, 2004;
Dublin, New Island Books, 2005);
and Walking the Road, (Tallaght, Civic Theatre, 2007)
His poetry collections include The Habit of Flesh, 1980; FinglasLillies, 1981; No Waiting America, 1982; all published by Raven ArtsPress; Internal Exiles, (Dublin, Dolmen, 1986;) Leinster StreetGhosts (Raven Arts Press,1989); Taking My Letters Back, New andSelected Poems (Dublin, New Island Books, 1998); The Chosen Moment(Dublin, New Island Books, 2004 [limited signed edition, Oxford, Joe McCann, 2004]); and External Affairs (New Island Books, 2008).
He has edited numerous books, including the seminal A Bright Wave/AnTonn Gheal (Raven Arts Press, 1989); Invisible Dublin (Raven Arts Press (1985); Ireland In Exile (New Island Books, 1993);Letters from The New Island (Raven Arts Press, 1995); Finbar's Hotel (New Island Books, 1997); its sequel, Ladies Night atFinbar's Hotel (Picador, 1999); andThe Picador Book of Contemporary Irish Fiction (Picador, 1993).
He has also written several film scripts. His numerous awards include the Samuel Beckett Award,1990, ÆMemorial Award,1996; and The Stuart Parker BBC Award 1990. He is amember of Aosdána, and lives in Dublin.
