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  • Young narrators and fiction #Salinger, Twain, Hyland me:http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2010/feb/03/young-narrators-sound-phony 5 days ago
  • If you haven't yet watched it, you must watch doco/interview on BBCiplayer about the pianist #AliceSommerHerz. She's extraordinary. 6 days ago
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‘Darkly, sparsely and with sustained intensity…a devastating portrait of a mild mannered psychopath’ TLS

‘…extraordinary…a profound achievement…’ The Guardian

Hilary Mantel

    • MJ Hyland's third novel, This is How This is How is MJ Hyland's latest novel.

      “A tour de force. Hyland illuminates this murderer’s damaged soul with such a steely, brilliant clarity that your heart breaks for him.” Helen Garner

      ^lsquo;Extraordinary....a profound achievement.^rsquo; The Guardian
    • This is how is the third novel from award winning author MJ Hyland This is How

      This is How is MJ Hyland's latest novel.

      A tour de force. Hyland illuminates this murderer’s damaged soul with such a steely, brilliant clarity that your heart breaks for him.
      Helen Garner

      Extraordinary....a profound achievement.
      The Guardian
    • Carry Me Down, the second novel by MJ Hyland was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize Carry Me Down

      “Carry Me Down is uncompromising, unputdownable and done with expert lightness. It’s a work of discreet brilliance. M.J. Hyland is a truly gifted writer.” Ali Smith
      'Always riveting, always enticing, this is a novel-and a family-that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.'
      Canberra Times
    • The groundbreaking debut novel by MJ Hyland How the light gets in
      How the light gets in is MJ Hyland's critically acclaimed debut novel
      “Moment by moment, Hyland nails the alternating excitement and embarrassment of being a teenager. . . . [She] is a talented writer grappling with serious questions about how we make our way through the world. . . . her efforts beat the hell out of tell-alls about manicures and designer jeans.”
      Curtis Sittenfeld, New York Times Book Review

M.J. Hyland was born in London to Irish parents in 1968 and spent her early childhood in Dublin. She studied English and law at the University of Melbourne, Australia and worked as a lawyer for several years. Her first novel, How the Light Gets In (2003) ... Continue reading

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You can buy MJ Hyland's novels from the following online bookstores:
MJ Hyland's Novels

A female Holden, just as cynical and sensitive, but with less self-conscious verbiage

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Posted in how the light gets in, on writing February 3rd, 2010

After the death of J.D. Salinger, the Guardian book blog takes a look at the challenges facing authors creating a young narrator. Maria’s debut novel, How the Light Gets In gets a mention, with narrator Lou being described as
“a contemporary, female Holden, just as cynical and sensitive, but with less self-conscious verbiage”
You can read the [...]

Video interview – Can creative writing be taught?

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Posted in interviews, on writing January 26th, 2010

MJ Hyland’s short video interview with The Wheeler Centre on the
question of whether or not creative writing can be taught: