Nick Laird

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Nick Laird is a novelist and poet. Born in Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland in 1975, he studied at Cambridge University, where he attained a first in English. He went on to work in a blue-chip law firm in London for six years, before giving up to work on his writing. He is married to novelist Zadie Smith, whom he met while at Cambridge.

1 Influences and themes
2 Published works
- 2.1 Utterly Monkey
- 2.2 To a Fault
3 Recognition and prizes
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Influences and themes

In a January, 2006 appearance on the Leonard Lopate Show, Laird explained how travelling out of Northern Ireland for an education in Cambridge had expanded his horizons and opened him up to opportunities that he believes would have otherwise been closed to him.

"I met a Jewish person for the first time. I met a black person for the first time." He also described the freedom that moving away from Northern Ireland gave to him with respect to adopting a new, or broader, identity. "It does mean freedom in a way to reinvent."

One of the themes in Laird's writing is the interpersonal relationships forged between men and women, and in the Lopate interview, he cited Ian McEwan and Nick Hornby as writers whom he admired for their ability to weave this element into their work.

He also cited the enduring influence of acclaimed Irish poet Seamus Heaney on his life and work, tracing his love of literature back to reading some of Heaney's early work, which he claimed "seems to be written out of the same place that you live."

[edit] Published works

As of 2005, he has written a novel, Utterly Monkey, and a prize winning book of poems, To a Fault.

[edit] Utterly Monkey

Utterly Monkey is an (arguably) semi-autobiographical work that questions the notion of loyalty: where our loyalties actually lie, and where perhaps they should. It was published in May 2005 by Fourth Estate. It follows the relationship of two childhood friends from Northern Ireland.

One of them, Danny, grew up to be a lawyer after attaining an education in London, while the other, Geordie, works as a labourer, and did not pursue extensive studies after high school. Nick Laird has described Geordie as "more feckless than Danny," and "a kind of a drifter."

Another aspect of the novel concerns Danny's romantic interest in a colleague at his law firm, Ellen, who is an African-American woman. Despite the superficial similarities between his life and that of his protagonist, Laird denies that this novel is autobiographical in nature, claiming that "it's just not," in the above-mentioned interview on the Leonard Lopate Show.

The novel also explores the endemic inter- and intrasectarian political and military conflict within Northern Ireland known as The Troubles. When asked whether or not Americans are able to comprehend and identify with the experiences of people in Northern Ireland, Laird replied that "I think they can, but I don't think they do," and cited the "low level of discourse" that he has encountered in regard to this subject when he travels to America. [1]

[edit] To a Fault

To a Fault is his first collection of poems, and was nominated for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. It explores the sharp edge of relationships against social and political backdrops; 'the fault' that unites the poems lying in the paradoxes of relationships: needing to remain both in and outside; desiring the security of home but the excitement of flight. To a Fault was published by Faber and Faber in January 2005.

[edit] Recognition and prizes

To a Fault and Utterly Monkey were both long listed for the inaugural 2006 Dylan Thomas Prize. To a Fault won the 2005 Jerwood Aldeburgh Prize, as well as the 2005 Ireland Chair for Poetry Award. It was also shortlisted for the 2005 Forward Poetry Prize for First Collection and longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award.

Laird was also the recipient of the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature in 2005.

Utterly Monkey won the Betty Trask Award for best first novel in 2005. It was also shortlisted for the Commonwealth best first novel award, the Irish novel of the year award, and the Kerry Group Listowel Fiction prize.