Nick Laird

Nicholas Laird
Nicholas Laird
Born	1975; Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Alma mater	Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Occupation(s)	Novelist, poet
Years active	2005–present
Known for	Novels: Utterly Monkey, Glover's Mistake, Modern Gods; Poetry collections: To a Fault, On Purpose, Go Giants, Feel Free
Spouse	Zadie Smith (m. 2004)
Children	2

Nicholas Laird (born 1975) is a novelist and poet from Northern Ireland.

Education

Born in Cookstown, County Tyrone, Laird attended the local comprehensive school before enrolling at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. He began his studies in Law but later switched to English, graduating with first-class honours and receiving the Arthur Quiller-Couch Award for Creative Writing.

He spent six years working at the London-based law firm Allen & Overy prior to dedicating himself fully to his literary career.

Personal life

Laird met Zadie Smith while at Cambridge, and the couple married in 2004 at King's College, Cambridge. Smith dedicated her novel On Beauty to him. They lived in Rome between 2006 and 2007 and currently divide their time between New York City and Queen's Park, London. The couple has two children.

To a Fault

Laird’s debut poetry volume, To a Fault (Faber and Faber, 2005), was shortlisted for the Forward Prize in the Best First Collection category.

On Purpose

His sophomore collection, On Purpose (Faber and Faber, 2007), delves into themes of relationships, taking inspiration from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. It earned both the Somerset Maugham Award and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize in 2008.

Go Giants

Published in 2015 by Faber and Faber, Go Giants is Laird’s third poetry collection.

Feel Free

Released in August 2018 through Faber and Faber, Feel Free was shortlisted for the 2018 T. S. Eliot Prize.

Utterly Monkey

Released in May 2005 by Fourth Estate and Harper Perennial (US), Utterly Monkey follows the lives of two childhood friends from Northern Ireland: Danny, who becomes a lawyer educated in London, and Geordie, a labourer with little formal schooling. Laird characterizes Geordie as "more feckless than Danny" and "a kind of drifter."

The narrative also addresses the political turmoil known as The Troubles. Laird has remarked that although American readers can relate to these experiences, discussions about them in the US often remain superficial.

Glover's Mistake

A review in The New York Times emphasizes the novel’s focus on David Pinner, an ex-art student turned teacher and cultural critic who maintains a blog centered on his frustrations and resentments. The plot examines David’s intricate relationships with Ruth Marks, an American feminist artist, and his younger roommate James Glover, whose romantic involvement sparks David’s mounting discontent. Laird’s poetic sensibility is evident throughout his richly detailed prose.

The book also received coverage in The Village Voice.

Modern Gods

Published in 2017, Modern Gods continues Laird’s literary investigation of contemporary issues through fiction.

Influences and themes

During a 2006 interview on The Leonard Lopate Show, Laird reflected on how his time at Cambridge expanded his worldview and provided opportunities that were not available in Northern Ireland, describing this period as a personal reinvention. His work frequently explores male-female relationships and draws influence from writers such as Ian McEwan and Nick Hornby. As part of Belfast’s post-Troubles generation of novelists, Laird articulates an identity forged by growing up amidst conflict and subsequent reconciliation. Alongside contemporaries like Robert McLiam Wilson, Glenn Patterson, and Colin Bateman, he forms part of a thriving community of modern Belfast authors.

Laird also credits the enduring impact of Irish poet Seamus Heaney, whose early poetry profoundly influenced his own literary development.

Recognition and Awards

Both To a Fault and Utterly Monkey were included on the longlist for the first-ever Dylan Thomas Prize. The collection To a Fault garnered several honors, including the Jerwood Aldeburgh Prize, the Ireland Chair of Poetry Award, and the Rupert and Eithne Strong Award. Additionally, it was shortlisted for notable accolades such as the Forward Poetry Prize for First Collection, the Poetry Now Award, and appeared on the longlist for the Guardian First Book Award.

In 2004, Laird was the recipient of the Eric Gregory Award, followed by winning the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature in 2005. His novel Utterly Monkey secured the Betty Trask Prize in 2005 and was shortlisted for several awards including Commonwealth Best First Novel, Irish Novel of the Year, and the Kerry Group Listowel Fiction Prizes. The book On Purpose earned both the Somerset Maugham Award and Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize in 2007.

Laird took part in the Bush Theatre's 2011 initiative Sixty Six Books, contributing a piece inspired by passages from the King James Bible.

In recognition of his literary contributions, Laird was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2013.

Novels

Laird, Nick. Utterly Monkey. Fourth Estate, London, 2005.
Laird, Nick. Glover's Mistake. Fourth Estate, London, 2009.
Laird, Nick. Modern Gods. Fourth Estate, London, 2017.

Children's Books

Smith, Zadie & Laird, Nick. Weirdo. Illustrated by Magenta Fox. Puffin, London, 2021.

Poetry

Collections

Laird, Nick. To a Fault. Faber and Faber, London, 2005.
Laird, Nick. On Purpose. Faber and Faber, London, 2007.
Laird, Nick. Go Giants. Faber and Faber, London, 2013.
Laird, Nick. Feel Free. Faber and Faber, London, 2018.
Laird, Nick. Up Late. Faber and Faber, London, 2023.

Anthologies (Contributor)

Mohammadi, Reza (English translation by Nick Laird). "Smoke" in A New Divan: A Lyrical Dialogue Between East & West. Gingko, London, 2019.

Selected Poems

Title	Year	First Published
User	2015	The New Yorker, vol. 91, issue 8
La Méditerranée	2017	The New Yorker, vol. 93, issue 34

External links

["It's nothing to do with me".] Guardian profile and interview with Nick Laird.
["Mr and Mrs Smith"] Interview featured in the Daily Telegraph.
[Biography] British Council Arts website.
[Interview] Leonard Lopate Show on WNYC.
[Review] John Redmond on To a Fault.
[Review] PopMatters coverage of Utterly Monkey.
["Cuttings," by Nick Laird]
[Review] Poetry Society's evaluation of "The Bearhug".
[Michiko Kakutani's review of Utterly Monkey]