European Press Prize (2019)

Installation

MoLI - Museum of Literature Ireland / Curated by June Caldwell

Nuala O’Faolain was born in Dublin in 1940, and died in 2008. Her career in Ireland and the UK spanned journalism, television production and presenting, but she is most widely remembered for her first memoir, Are You Somebody? The book was explosive and unexpected, exposing hidden aspects of female life in Ireland and offering valuable insights into the private experiences of a well-known public figure. 

Published by New Island in 1996, and originally intended as a selection of Nuala’s newspaper columns with a personal introduction, it is easy to underestimate the impact Are You Somebody? had – and continues to have. Nuala’s frank and revealing accounts of her life as an educated, independent career woman were shocking – and liberating – in the conservative, Catholic Ireland of the 1990s. The book went on to enjoy huge success as a bestseller internationally, and continues to have an inspirational effect long after Nuala’s passing.

This new installation, curated by author June Caldwell, stands as both memorial and testimony to the importance of Nuala’s honesty and work. Moreover, it speaks to the ongoing need for writers to speak truth to silence, and to reveal ways of living that remain hidden or censored from public view.

(Text from www.moli.ie, visit the site here)