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The Journal
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Journal
Irish author Donal Ryan wins Orwell Prize for Political Fiction
IRISH AUTHOR DONAL Ryan has been awarded the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction for his novel Heart, Be at Peace. Ryan's latest book shares similarities with his 2012 novel, The Spinning Heart. Both are set in his native north Tipperary. Heart, Be at Peace received the prestigious award 'For its clarity. For its perfectly pitched voices. For its humanity and kindness,' said Jim Crace, chair of judges of the Orwell Prize. Ryan told RTÉ Radio this morning that he doesn't consider himself a political writer. 'The things I write about are fairly universal,' he said. Advertisement The winner of the 2025 Orwell Prize for Political Fiction is Donal Ryan, for Heart, Be at Peace. "For its clarity. For its perfectly pitched voices. For its humanity and kindness." - Jim Crace, Chair of Judges Congratulations, Donal! 🎉 @PenguinUKBooks @doubledaybooks — The Orwell Prize (@TheOrwellPrize) June 25, 2025 Ryan said his mother, who works in Tesco in Nenagh, was always being asked about the characters in The Spinning Heart, which led her to push him to write a follow-up novel. He also described how his approach to writing has changed, moving from a less disciplined process to one that's more regimented, which is a result of his work as a creative writing teacher. On the subject matter of the book, which deals with the illegal drug trade, Ryan said: 'What's been shocking to me in the last number of years is that it's so open now.' 'Whereas we all knew there was a drugs trade but it was always kind of occluded, it was in the dark, shadowy corners, but now it's right out on the street, in housing estates and on the road. It's amazing.' One of Ryan's fans is Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe, who told RTÉ Radio his writing was 'masterful' and that Ireland is 'lucky to have him'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Donal Ryan 'overjoyed' after winning Orwell Prize with novel Heart, Be At Peace
Donal Ryan has said he is 'overjoyed' to have won the prestigious Orwell Prize for political fiction. The Tipperary native was announced as the winner in London for his latest novel, Heart, Be At Peace. 'It was an amazing honour just to be shortlisted, and very unexpected to receive the award. I was overjoyed, and to be introduced and presented by the great Jim Crace was very special,' he told the Irish Examiner. A sequel to his debut, The Spinning Heart, his latest novel tells the story of a small town in rural Ireland through the voices of 21 characters. Heart, Be At Peace explores a community that has weathered the storms of economic collapse and is now looking towards the future. The panel for this year's Orwell Prize for fiction was chaired by author Jim Crace, who said Ryan's book was chosen as the winner 'for its clarity' and the 'perfectly pitched voices' of its characters. Mr Crace described the novel as 'exceptional.' The author joins a list of former Irish winners, including Anna Burns and Claire Keegan. Ukrainian author Victoria Amelina, who died in July 2023 in the war in Ukraine, is the posthumous winner of the Orwell Prize for Political Writing for her book Looking at Women, Looking at War. Mr Ryan said: 'It was an emotional occasion, with the heroic Victoria Amelina's posthumous award for political writing'. Every year, the Orwell Foundation awards prizes for literary work that mirrors George Orwell's ambition to "make political writing into an art."
RTÉ News
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Orwell Prize winner says ceremony 'very emotional'
Irish writer Donal Ryan, who was named as the winner of the prestigious Orwell Prize for Political Fiction for his novel 'Heart, Be At Peace', said the award ceremony was "very emotional". The novel, which is set a decade after his acclaimed debut novel, 'The Spinning Heart', centres on the story of a small-knit town told through the voices of 21 different characters. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Ryan said his books are designed to give a voice to a number of people at a specific time, and that he never consciously sits down thinking that he was going to make a political statement in his book. "But I suppose when you write about ordinary people and ordinary lives, or so-called ordinary people, and how the world and how they exist in the world and how things affect them, it is going to have political resonance, are just a resonance in how people and you know, think about their lives and the lives of most people. " Although, 'Heart, Be At Peace', is set ten years after 'The Spinning Heart', Mr Ryan said is should be described as a standalone companion. "It's important for people to know that they don't have to have read 'The Spinning Heart' to kind of enjoy or to follow 'Heart, Be at Peace'. "But in a way they are books that people can find a little bit hard to follow at times because there's so many voices, but my ambition for the books was that it would give a kind of impression of a place at a certain time and that the links between people didn't really matter, that we're all connected anyway." Mr Ryan is also a lecturer and said this work has helped him to consider what he was doing more closely and really think about how best to tell the story. He said his late mother was a big influence on his decision to write the latest book as when she was working in Tesco people regularly asked her about the characters and what they were doing now. "Mam would often say well, you just write a sequel to 'Spinning Heart', so people know", what happened to to the characters, he said. "Because it's not fair on people", he added.
RTÉ News
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Irish writer Donal Ryan wins prestigious Orwell Prize for Political Fiction
Irish writer Donal Ryan has been announced as the winner of the prestigious Orwell Prize for Political Fiction for his novel 'Heart, Be At Peace' this evening in London. The novel, which is set a decade after his acclaimed debut novel, 'The Spinning Heart', centres on the story of a small-knit town told through the voices of 21 different characters. The 2025 judging panel for the prize for fiction was chaired by author Jim Crace and he said that Mr Ryan's book was chosen as the winner "for its clarity" and "for its twenty one perfectly pitched voices". "Here is a small deprived community in rural Ireland - suffering and recovering from the bruises of its political and economic past," Mr Crace said. He described the novel as "exceptional". Mr Ryan, from Co Tipperary, joins a distinguished list of former Irish writers on the winning list, including Anna Burns and Claire Keegan. Ukranian author Victoria Amelina is posthumous winner of the Orwell Prize for Political Writing for her book 'Looking at women, looking at war'. She died in July 2023 in the Ukraine war and her unfinished work documents the resistance efforts of Ukrainian people and was described by the judges as "a testimony and a precious, powerful work of literature, a steady beam of light born amid darkness and violence". There is a prize of £3,000 (€3,517) for each of the winners. Every year, the Orwell Foundation awards prizes for the work which comes closes to George Orwell's own ambition to "make political writing into an art".
Toronto Star
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Donal Ryan's spellbinding sequel in 21 voices continues the saga of a small Irish town
In 2014 Donal Ryan published a novel in the U.S. called 'The Spinning Heart' about a rural Irish town after the 2008 financial collapse. It was narrated by a chorus of voices, one per chapter, and at the center was a good-hearted contractor, Bobby Mahon. Ryan's latest book is a spellbinding sequel, 'Heart, Be at Peace,' that works just fine on its own. It chronicles the changes that have buffeted Nenagh, County Tipperary, in the decade since the recession. Once again, the story is told by 21 townspeople, including one who has died, and Bobby is at the center.
