My novels braid together multiple timelines and points of view to tell character-led stories set against the backdrop of particular moments in Irish history. My critical research, meanwhile, examines the formal strategies of other contemporary Irish novelists such as Colum McCann, Eimear McBride and Maggie O’Farrell.

I have long been interested in the concept of empathy and its relationship to narrative form; more recently this has evolved to consider how different modes of storytelling seek to engage with the climate emergency – which in turn led to me writing my first ever work for the stage.

I published my debut novel Forget at the age of eighteen, becoming the youngest ever person to reach number one on the Irish bestsellers’ list. Since then I have published four more novels which have been translated into multiple languages and shortlisted for an array of international prizes.

My short stories have appeared in publications such as Wasifiri, The Istanbul Review, The Irish Pages, Ambit and Banshee. I also write regular literary reviews for The Guardian and The Irish Independent where I was a columnist for a number of years.

My debut play, We Love and Then We Drown – a love story set against the backdrop of the climate crisis – was first performed in London in January 2026 and will appear at the Camden Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe and Bloomsbury Festivals later this year.

For more information, please visit: www.ruthgilligan.com/

• PhD English, University of Exeter (2014)
• MA Creative Writing, University of East Anglia (2011)
• MA English, Yale University (2010)
• BA English, Cambridge University (2009)