Graham Norton - Author
About the Author
Graham Norton is one of the UK's most treasured comedians and presenters. Born in Clondalkin, a suburb of Dublin, Norton's first big TV appearance was as Father Noel Furlong on Channel 4's Father Ted in the early 1990s. He then secured a prime time slot on Channel 4 with his chat shows So Graham Norton and V Graham Norton. Known for his quick wit and flamboyant style Graham began hosting a variety of talent shows on BBC1 from Strictly Dance Fever and Andrew Lloyd Webber's How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? to The Eurovision Song Contest and the BAFTAs. Graham was soon approached by the BBC to front his own self titled chat show The Graham Norton Show in 2007. Graham Norton has won 5 BAFTAs for Best Entertainment Performace. He presents a show on BBC Radio 2 every Saturday and also writes, as Agony Aunt, weekly in a column for the Telegraph.
Author photo © Steve Double
Featured books by Graham Norton
The Swimmer
Helen is a retired teacher living on the Irish coast. She enjoys the peace and quiet - despite the burden of Margaret, her unpleasant sister. Margaret arrived three years ago for a short holiday, but somehow managed to stay and worm her way into Helen's life. One day, Helen sees a man struggling in the sea and decides to investigate. She doesn't quite know what it is, but something about it feels very strange...
A Keeper
From the bestselling author of Holding comes a masterly tale of secrets and ill-fated loves set on the coast of Ireland. Dear Lonely Leinster Lady, I'm not really sure how to begin . . . The truth drifts out to sea, riding the waves out of sight. And then the tide turns. Elizabeth Keane returns to Ireland after her mother's death, intent only on wrapping up that dismal part of her life. There is nothing here for her; she wonders if there ever was. The house of her childhood is stuffed full of useless things, her mother's presence already fading. And perhaps, had she not found the small stash of letters, the truth would never have come to light. 40 years earlier, a young woman stumbles from a remote stone house, the night quiet but for the tireless wind that circles her as she hurries further into the darkness away from the cliffs and the sea. She has no sense of where she is going, only that she must keep on. This compelling new novel confirms Graham Norton's status as a fresh, literary voice, bringing his clear-eyed understanding of human nature and its darkest flaws.
The Life and Loves of a He Devil A Memoir
A look at the loves and passions in Graham Norton’s life, looking back to recall early loves and inspirations and considering how they change as you grow older. These are lessons he’s learned from life – that it is your passions and interests that make life ever fascinating. A larger than life account sharing some of Graham Norton’s passions – from Dolly Parton to wine and his great love, Ireland. ~ Sue Baker
The Life and Loves of a He Devil
Graham Norton has been entertaining audiences and having fun with some of the world's biggest stars for nearly twenty years. He is loved across the nation for his delight in the peculiar and for his ability to find humour and a common ground in all that life brings. The Life and Loves of a He Devil is Graham's funny and honest memoir on the theme of love. As he shows, it's really the things you love that make you who you are and so Graham tells his story from his Irish childhood to the present day, describing just what and who he loved - and sometimes lost - as a young boy, and his new loves and obsessions - big and small - as he's grown older. It's been ten years since his last book and being a decade older Graham has come to realise that what makes a life interesting is less what happens to you and more what inspires and drives you, what you love. From Dolly Parton and dogs to wine and Ireland, Graham tells of his life and loves with characteristic humour and outrageous candour.
Holding
From Graham Norton, the BAFTA-award-winning Irish television host and author of the ';sparkling and impish' (Daily Mail) memoirs The Life and Loves of a He Devil and So Me, comes a charming debut novel set in an idyllic Irish village where a bumbling investigator has to sort through decades of gossip and secrets to solve a mysterious crime.The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama but when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burkea former lover of two different inhabitantsthe village's dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated sergeant PJ Collins struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community's worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret. In this darkly comic, touching, and at times heartbreaking novel, perfect for fans of J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy, Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of loveable characters, and explorewith searing honestythe complexities and contradictions that make us human.
Other books by Graham Norton
Forever Home
The new novel from bestselling author Graham Norton Carol is a divorced teacher living in a small town in Ireland, her only son now grown. A second chance at love brings her unexpected connection and belonging. The new relationship sparks local speculation: what does a woman like her see in a man like that? What happened to his wife who abandoned them all those years ago? But the gossip only serves to bring the couple closer. When Declan becomes ill, things start to fall apart. His children are untrusting and cruel, and Carol is forced to leave their beloved home with its worn oak floors and elegant features and move back in with her parents. Carol's mother is determined to get to the bottom of things, she won't see her daughter suffer in this way. It seems there are secrets in Declan's past, strange rumours that were never confronted and suddenly the house they shared takes on a more sinister significance. In his tense and darkly comic new novel Norton casts a light on the relationship between mothers and daughters, and truth and self-preservation with unnerving effect.
Holding
**NOW A MAJOR ITV DRAMA SERIES** 'A gentle comic crime story' The Guardian 'Poised and perceptive' Sunday Times 'a beautiful piece of writing with a great story and fantastic, full bodied characters. All this with glorious West Cork as its setting...irresistible.' Kathy Burke '... a deftly plotted story as moving as it is compelling' Sunday Mirror 'Deeply accomplished ... brilliantly observed' Good Housekeeping '... one of the more authentic debuts I've read in recent years ... in such an understated manner, eschewing linguistic eccentricity ... in favour of genuine characters and tender feeling ... this is a fine novel' John Boyne, Irish Times 'It's funny and wonderfully perceptive' Wendy Holden 'It is beautiful and yet devastatingly sad' Daily Express 'Strenuously charming ... surprisingly tender' Metro 'Heartwarming and observant' Stylist The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama; and yet its inhabitants are troubled. Sergeant PJ Collins hasn't always been this overweight; mother of two Brid Riordan hasn't always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn't always felt that her life was a total waste. So when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burke - a former love of both Brid and Evelyn - the village's dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated PJ struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community's worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret. Darkly comic, touching and at times profoundly sad. Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of lovable characters, and explore - with searing honesty - the complexities and contradictions that make us human.
Home Stretch
'[A] compelling, bighearted, emotionally precise page-turner.' THE SUNDAY TIMES 'Beautiful and heartbreaking.' PANDORA SYKES 'A real page-turner, the kind of warmth and magical storytelling that puts me in mind of the late, great Maeve Binchy... a writer of real strength and talent.' LORRAINE KELLY, ITV 'intelligent and tenderly observed' THE TIMES 'This is a consuming story [...] delivering confident, considered truths' - IRISH SUNDAY TIMES 'Full of heart and humanity and I loved every single page. What a storyteller!' ELIZABETH DAY 'a thoughtful examination of sexual identity, shame, and the impact of collective grief' OBSERVER 'Graham Norton's new novel has me in floods... His gift for characterisation is positively Binchy-esque! Such nuance and warmth! It's GORGEOUS' MARIAN KEYES 'I loved HOME STRETCH ... one of those books that stays with you so long after you've finished it' NIGELLA LAWSON 'A subtle portrait of small-town Ireland; an unblinking study of shame & homophobia; a map of cultural shifts between 1980s & now; a kind, wise, perceptive novel by an author rich in these qualities.' DAVID MITCHELL 'Beautifully written. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy read. Utterly fantastic.' LIZ NUGENT 'Graham Norton's examination of small-town Irish lives continues in his deeply moving third novel. He is a magnificent writer.' JOHN BOYNE '[Graham Norton is a] king of the page turners... A total triumph' ANNE GRIFFIN 'What right has such a successful entertainer to write a novel as good as this?' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'Home Stretch is a wonderful display' - IRISH TIMES WEEKEND 'This book goes down a treat [...] A welcome feat of the imagination. Highly recommended.' - BUSINESS POST 'His most accomplished and thoughtful [novel] yet' - RTE GUIDE Shame and longing can flow through generations, but the secrets of the heart will not be buried for ever. It is 1987 and a small Irish community is preparing for a wedding. The day before the ceremony a group of young friends, including bride and groom, drive out to the beach. There is an accident. Three survive, but three are killed. The lives of the families are shattered and the rifts between them are felt throughout the small town. Connor is one of the survivors. But staying among the angry and the mourning is almost as hard as living with the shame of having been the driver. He leaves the only place he knows for another life, taking his secrets with him. Travelling first to Liverpool, then London, he makes a home - of sorts - for himself in New York. The city provides shelter and possibility for the displaced, somewhere Connor can forget his past and forge a new life. But the secrets, the unspoken longings and regrets that have come to haunt those left behind will not be silenced. And before long, Connor will have to confront his past. Graham Norton's powerful and timely novel of emigration and return demonstrates his keen understanding of the power of stigma and secrecy - with devastating results.
Ein irischer Dorfpolizist
Duneen liegt wirklich am Arsch der Welt, ganz, ganz unten im Suden Irlands. Groe Dramen finden in dem schmucken, kleinen Ort nicht statt, und trotzdem konnten viele Leute hier ein bisschen glucklicher sein. Sergeant PJ Collins war nicht immer so dick. Brid Riordan hat fruher nicht so viel getrunken. Und auch Evelyn Ross glaubte einmal, ihr Leben konnte einen Sinn haben. Dann bricht der Tag an, als auf dem Grund der Burke-Farm Knochen gefunden werden. Menschliche Knochen. Und es ist vorbei mit der Ruhe, fr PJ und einige andere in Duneen. Alte Wunden brechen auf, alte Lgen kommen ans Licht, neue Konflikte entbrennen, und whrend PJ zum ersten Mal in seiner Karriere einen richtigen Fall zu lsen versucht, berrascht er viele, die ihn zu kennen glaubten - am meisten sich selbst. "e;Ein groartiger Roman mit schn konstruierter Geschichte und der trstlichen Botschaft, dass man Liebe finden kann, selbst wenn alle ueren Umstnde dagegen sprechen."e; (Evening Standard)
Holding
**NOW A MAJOR TV DRAMA SERIES** 'A gentle comic crime story' The Guardian 'Poised and perceptive' Sunday Times 'a beautiful piece of writing with a great story and fantastic, full bodied characters. All this with glorious West Cork as its setting...irresistible.' Kathy Burke '... a deftly plotted story as moving as it is compelling' Sunday Mirror 'Deeply accomplished ... brilliantly observed' Good Housekeeping '... one of the more authentic debuts I've read in recent years ... in such an understated manner, eschewing linguistic eccentricity ... in favour of genuine characters and tender feeling ... this is a fine novel' John Boyne, Irish Times 'It's funny and wonderfully perceptive' Wendy Holden 'It is beautiful and yet devastatingly sad' Daily Express 'Strenuously charming ... surprisingly tender' Metro 'Heartwarming and observant' Stylist The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama; and yet its inhabitants are troubled. Sergeant PJ Collins hasn't always been this overweight; mother of two Brid Riordan hasn't always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn't always felt that her life was a total waste. So when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burke - a former love of both Brid and Evelyn - the village's dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated PJ struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community's worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret. Darkly comic, touching and at times profoundly sad. Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of lovable characters, and explore - with searing honesty - the complexities and contradictions that make us human.
Ask Graham
Graham Norton is best known as a television presenter, chat show host and comedian. His warm demeanour and dry wit has endeared him to the nation and he is well on his way to securing the status of a national treasure. But as well as presenting and acting, Graham also fulfils another professional role: that of agony uncle to readers of The Daily Telegraph. Every week, scores of people write to Graham with their problems, hoping that his wise words will ease their worries or at least point them in the direction of a solution to their particular concern. The woes about which Graham is asked to offer advice are wide-ranging and include topics such as ungrateful spouses, errant partners, failing relationships, problems in the workplace and social etiquette. Each perfectly-pitched response from Graham includes just the right mixture of sound advice, humour and, occassionally, reprimand. We are, after all, fascinated with other people's problems and the winning combination of a glimpse into another's life couples with a wise and witty response makes for fascinating reading. This entertaining and often poignant book is a collection of the very best reponses to a selection of problems from the man who is rapidly becoming the nation's favourite agony uncle.
So Me
Graham Norton, whose impish charm and quick wit has earned him a place in our hearts, looks back at his life so far. In his own words, SO ME is 'a real romp through a journey from living in a cockroach-infested council flat in Hackney to buying Claudia Schiffer's townhouse in Manhattan, from my mother dragging me to school to me dragging her to Sharon Stone's house for New Year's brunch'. From a not-so miserable Irish childhood to dropping out of Cork University and joining a commune of hippies in San Francisco, from his disastrous attempts at becoming a serious actor to the rise of his comedy career in London, this is a hilarious, insightful and moving account of a colourful life.