O'Malley, Thomas 1967-

PERSONAL:

Born 1967. Education: University of Massachusetts, B.A.; University of Iowa, M.F.A.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Rhinebeck, NY. Office—Omega Institute, 150 Lake Dr., Rhinebeck, NY 12572.

CAREER:

Writer. University of Iowa, Iowa City, returning writer fellow; Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, NY, currently faculty member.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Grace Paley Endowed Fellowship, Fine Arts Work Center.

WRITINGS:

In the Province of Saints (novel), Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor to the anthologies, including Where Is Love Found and A People's Fictional History of theUnited States. Contributor to periodicals, includingPloughshares, Glimmer Train, Shenandoah, Natural Bridge, Blue Mesa Review, Crab Orchard Review, New Millennium Writings, Vanguard, FriGG, and Mississippi Review.

SIDELIGHTS:

Thomas O'Malley was raised in England and Ireland, before emigrating to the United States, where he attended the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop and settled in Rhinebeck, New York. O'Malley's first novel, In the Province of Saints, is set in southeastern Ireland in the late 1970s. It tells the story of Michael McDonagh, a young man coping with his mother's illness and his father's drinking problem, while trying to determine where to go with his life. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly remarked that "this first novel of a hardscrabble Irish childhood stands out for its eloquence and its bleakness." Annie Tully, writing for Booklist, commented that "while the story here is indeed quite captivating, it's O'Malley's prose that will keep readers in awe." Library Journalcontributor Greg Matthews declared the book "a brilliant coming-of-age story," while New York Times Book Review critic Elsa Dixler concluded that O'Malley's work is "a familiar Irish song, but the words will break your heart."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, July, 2005, Annie Tully, review of In the Province of Saints, p. 1900.

Library Journal, July 1, 2005, Greg Matthews, review of In the Province of Saints, p. 70.

New York Times Book Review, September 4, 2005, Elsa Dixler, review of In the Province of Saints,p. 16.

Publishers Weekly, July 18, 2005, review of In the Province of Saints, p. 186.