Anna Heussaff

Anna Heussaff is a writer who has had seven novels in Irish published since 2002: three crime novels for adult readers, Bás Tobann (Cois Life 2004) and Buille Marfach (CIC 2010) which are set in Beara on the southwest coast; three adventure novels for young readers aged 10-14 years, Vortex (Cois Life 2006), Hóng (CIC 2012) and Sárú (CIC 2017), whose plots involve interplay between screen games and the outside world; and a contemporary love story for adult learners of Irish, Cúpla Focal (Cois Life 2007). Six of them received a major award from Comórtais Liteartha an Oireachtais; and Hóng was awarded the Judges’ Special Award by Children’s Books Ireland in 2013.

Anna Heussaff was born in 1957 and grew up in an Irish-speaking family in Dublin, where she lives today. Her MA thesis, Filí agus Cléir san Ochtú hAois Déag, was published in 1992 (An Clóchomhar). She worked with homeless people in England for three years, and spent 18 years working in radio and television as a researcher and a producer/director with RTÉ.

Since 2002, she has been doing teaching, translation and other work on a freelance basis in addition to writing. She runs workshops as part of the Writers in Schools/Scríbhneoirí sna Scoileanna scheme. In 2010–2011, Futa Fata and Dorling Kindersley published three reference books for young readers translated by her from English: Seo í mo Scoil, Leabhar Mór na hEalaíne and Leabhar Mór an Cheoil.

 

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