Suad Aldarra awarded 2024 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature

Suad Aldarra has been announced as the recipient of the £8,340 (€10,000) Rooney Prize for Irish Literature.

The prize celebrates an outstanding body of work by an emerging Irish writer under 40 years of age, and is administered by the Trinity Oscar Wilde Centre for Creative Writing in the School of English, Trinity College Dublin.

Suad Aldarra is a Syrian-Irish writer and engineer based in Dublin. In her debut memoir I Don’t Want to Talk About Home (Doubleday/Penguin Random House), she told the story of her experience of fleeing war-torn Syria in 2012. The book was shortlisted for An Post Irish Book Awards Biography of the Year in 2022. 

Prior to that in 2021, Aldarra was selected as the Common Currency writer in residence for the Cúirt International Festival and English/Irish PEN. In the same year, she was awarded the Art Councils of Ireland English literature bursary.

Responding to the news of the award, Aldarra said: “Although I’ve been living in Ireland since 2014, it was only when I published my book, I Don’t Want To Talk About Home, that I came close to a true sense of belonging. Being part of the Irish literature network and supported by many generous writers and booksellers is something I will always carry with me. 

“To win the Rooney Prize is a heartwarming surprise beyond my wildest dreams. Having my name among previous talented winners is an honour that will motivate me to continue the rewarding writing path. I’m forever grateful to the judging committee and the Rooney family. Today, I can proudly say I’m no longer a migrant looking for belonging. I’ve found my tribe.”

The jury praised the author’s book for its "vivid and eloquent account of life as a migrant". Chair of the prize committee, literary agent Jonathan Williams said: "It is only the second time in the 48-year history of the prize that it has been bestowed on a work of non-fiction.

“Suad’s account of her life as a Syrian migrant is vivid and eloquent—a narrative of displacement and exile. The six members of the judging panel believe that the memoir promises future impressive books from this gifted writer, thus fulfilling the primary objective of the Rooney Prize.”

The prize was awarded to Michael Magee in 2023.

Benefactor of the prize Dr Peter Rooney congratulated the winner: “Suad Aldarra’s I Don’t Want to Talk About Home is an incredibly moving memoir about the search for home. Aldarra’s deeply moving writing conveys a vivid portrayal of her transcendental homelessness; her sacrifice, bravery and relentless drive towards finding, and building, a place she can call home."