Joseph O'Connor is the winner of the prestigious Irish PEN Award 2012. The awards ceremony will take place on 10 February, 2012 at the Royal St George Yacht Club, Dún Laoighre. This award celebrates Irish born writers, who have made outstanding contributions to Irish Literature. The winner is nominated and chosen by the members of Irish PEN as well as by the previous winners of the award. The 2012 Irish PEN Dinner and Award is an event open to the public, so please click here if you wish to purchase tickets for it. To read more about the award, please click here.

GHOST LIGHT, Joseph's most recent work, was published in 2010 and was chosen as Dublin's One Book, One City in April 2011. His next work will be a collection of short stories and will be published by Harvill Secker.

Praise for Joseph O'Connor:

'Joe O'Connor occupies a special place in Irish life. The novel is artfully constructed … O'Connor's evocation of such a difficult, morbid and yet morally beautiful man through the memory of an earthy and vivacious woman is remarkably ambitious and imaginative. Ghost Light is full of…sly pleasures and there is a great deal of broad comedy' -- The Irish Independent

'O'Connor's writing is compellingly beautiful and Molly is marvellously drawn. A captivating read.' -- Jane Housham, The Guardian

'GHOST LIGHT displays an astonishing command of voice, using tones that are both tender and powerfully emotional, with brilliant command of the period.' -- Colm Tóibín, Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year 2010