THE Carndonagh born Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch has been appointed Distinguished Writing Fellow at Maynooth University.
The appointment will see the author return as a colleague in the Department of English in Maynooth University where he will teach on the MA in Creative Writing.
Previously, Mr Lynch was the 2019 Kildare County Council Writer-in-Residence at Maynooth University and he was subsequently Maynooth University’s Arts Council Writer-in-Residence in 2023, and in this role, taught a module on creativity and novel-writing, enriching Maynooth’s MA in Creative Writing.
In a video released by Maynooth University, Mr Lynch said he had benefited on his journey from the help of other writers.
“I’m here now and I think it’s important for writers to see that if you hear about somebody being a booker shortlisted writer, well actually it turns out that they’re just a normal person. So I’m giving back now and I’m very happy to do that,” he said.
Prior to winning the 2023 Booker Prize in November for Prophet Song, Mr Lynch’s novels were nominated for, and have won a long list of prizes, including the Prix du Premier Roman, the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Prix Gens de Mer and the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year.
Professor Alison Hood, Dean of Arts, Celtic Studies and Philosophy, said that Maynooth University was delighted with the appointment.
“Paul’s novels are testament to an extraordinary and visionary talent. This appointment means that Maynooth University welcomes Paul back as a colleague in the Department of English, where he will teach on the MA in Creative Writing,” Professor Hood said.
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