Brunel Writers Talking Series: Colin Barrett

About this event:

Brunel University of London is a very proud sponsor of the Nero Book Awards. As such, we are delighted to welcome Colin Barrett winner of Nero Book Awards Debut Fiction Prize in 2025, to the Brunel Writers Talking series. Colin will be interviewed about his debut novel, Wild Houses, by Helen Cullen, Novelist and Reader in Creative Writing at Brunel.

You can see the other author events in Brunel’s Writers Talking Series here.

About Colin Barrett:

Colin Barrett grew up in County Mayo, Ireland. His stories have been published in the Stinging Fly, Granta, Harper's and the New Yorker. His first book, the short story collection Young Skins, won the Guardian First Book Award, the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award and the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. His second collection, Homesickness, made the New York Times 100 Notable Books of the Year and was a Book of the Year in Oprah Daily and the Irish Times. His debut novel, Wild Houses, was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2024 and won the Nero Book Award for Debut Fiction in 2025.

About Wild Houses:

Wild Houses, Colin Barrett’s much anticipated debut novel, is set in County Mayo, Ireland. It follows a small-town feud, a kidnapping and a life-altering weekend resulting in a darkly funny and deeply moving novel that found acclaim as a literary page-turner.

You can see the other author events in Brunel’s Writers Talking Series here