Work
Donoghue's first novel was 1994's Stir Fry, a contemporary coming of age novel about a young Irish woman discovering her sexuality. It was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in 1994. This was followed in 1995 by Hood, another contemporary story, this time about an Irish woman coming to terms with the death of her girlfriend. Hood won the 1997 American Library Association's Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Book Award for Literature (now known as the Stonewall Book Award for Literature).
Slammerkin (2000) is a historical novel set in London and Wales. Inspired by an 18th century newspaper story about a young servant who killed her employer and was executed, the protagonist is a prostitute who longs for fine clothes. It was a finalist in the 2001 Irish Times Irish Literature Prize for Fiction and was awarded the 2002 Ferro-Grumley Award for Lesbian Fiction (despite a lack of lesbian content). Her 2007 novel, Landing, portrays a long-distance relationship between a Canadian curator and an Irish flight attendant. The Sealed Letter (2008), Donoghue's latest work of historical fiction, is based on the Codrington Affair, a scandalous divorce case that gripped Britain in 1864. The Sealed Letter was longlisted for the Giller Prize, and was joint winner of the 2009 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction.
On July 27, 2010, Donoghue's novel Room was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and on September 7, 2010 it made the shortlist. On November 2, 2010, it was announced that Donoghue's Room had been awarded the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Room is also shortlisted for the 2010 Governor General's Awards in Canada and was the winner of the Irish Book Award 2010. It was short-listed for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2011. but lost out to Tea Obreht
Speaking at the Lesbian Lives Conference in Brighton on Sunday 13 February 2011, Donoghue revealed that her next novel would be a historical fiction based on the true story of a murdered 19th century cross-dressing frog catcher.
Read more about this topic: Emma Donoghue
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