Roddy Doyle
Novelist
Irish novelist known for his Barrytown trilogy and his stand alone novel Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, which won the 1993 Booker Prize.
He earned a Bachelor's degree from University College Dublin and worked for several years as a teacher before turning his focus to writing.
He also wrote many novels aimed at children and young adults, including the Rover Adventures series.
He wrote a non-fiction book called Rory and Ita about his parents.
He became a personal friend of fellow author Dave Eggers.