Claire Keegan is an acclaimed Irish author, celebrated for her skill in crafting short stories and novellas that are both emotionally powerful and poetically concise. Born in 1968, Keegan gained international recognition with her first collection, Antarctica (1999), which won the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. Her second collection, Walk the Blue Fields (2007), and her novella Foster (2010) further cemented her reputation as one of Ireland’s foremost contemporary writers. Foster was later adapted into the film The Quiet Girl, which became an international success in 2022.

Keegan’s writing is characterized by her exploration of complex human emotions, often set against the backdrop of rural Ireland. Her ability to convey deep moral questions through simple yet profound narratives has earned her numerous accolades. Her most recent work, Small Things Like These (2021), was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, underscoring her talent for blending personal and political themes in her stories.