Emma Donoghue

Born in Dublin in 1969, Emma Donoghue is an Irish emigrant twice over: she spent eight years in Cambridge doing a PhD in 18th-century literature before following her partner to London, Ontario. She is best known for her novels, which range from the historical (Learned by Heart, Haven, The Pull of the Stars, The Wonder, Frog Music, Slammerkin) to the contemporary (Akin, Landing). Her most recent novel, The Paris Express, was a finalist for the 2025 Giller Prize. Her international bestseller Room was a New York Times Best Book of the Year and a finalist for the Man Booker, Commonwealth, and Orange Prizes. Donoghue also wrote the screenplays for Room and The Wonder and adapted Room and The Pull of the Stars for the stage. 2026 saw the premiere of her first musical, The Wind Coming Over the Sea. Her most recent film (adapted with Philippa Lowthorpe from Helen Macdonald’s memoir) is H Is for Hawk.