Nuala O'Faolain

Nuala Brigid Anne O'Faolain (1 March 1940 – 9 May 2008) was an Irish journalist and writer. Her debut memoir, Are You Somebody?, published when she was in her mid-fifties, became a sensation in Ireland and a worldwide bestseller.

Born to a Dublin family with a journalist father who led a bohemian lifestyle, O'Faolain grew up poor and isolated. After studying English literature and spending time as an academic, she worked as a TV producer for the BBC and RTÉ, before becoming a newspaper columnist at The Irish Times in 1986. Her writing frequently touched on the role of women in Irish society.

Originally written as an introduction to a book of her columns, Are You Somebody? was first published in 1996 and was the number-one bestseller in Ireland for five months. In 1998, it topped the New York Times bestseller list. O'Faolain wrote two further non-fiction works: a second memoir, Almost There; and a biography, The Story of Chicago May, which won the Prix Femina étranger. She also published two novels, My Dream of You and Best Love, Rosie, the latter of which was released posthumously.

While being interviewed by her friend Marian Finucane on radio in April 2008, O'Faolain announced that she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer; she died four weeks later. She is regarded as one of the finest Irish writers of her generation, and has influenced the memoir form in Ireland.