Sally Rooney: who is Conversations with Friends and Normal People author - what books has she written?

The TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Conversations With Friends officially dropped on 15 May.

The latest series comes from the same writer that brought us Normal People, which aired on BBC Three in April 2022 and went on to win Best Actor at the BAFTAs for lead actor Paul Mescal.

However, Conversations With Friends has been met with mixed reviews from critics and fans.

Here’s everything you need to know about Irish author Sally Rooney and what books she has written.

Who is Sally Rooney?

The 31-year-old author and screenwriter is from Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland.

Her father worked in telecom and her mother worked in the arts.

Rooney started her career as a poet and has gone on to write three critically acclaimed novels.

She studied English at Trinity College Dublin, becoming a scholar in 2011.

Rooney wrote Conversations With Friends whilst studying for a masters degree in American Studies.

She has won awards for her work, with the author being named The Sunday Times Writer of the Year in 2021.

Her novel Normal People has won three awards, including Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year 2018, Costa Book Awards 2019 and Encore Award 2019.

What books has she written?

Rooney has published three novels that have each gone on to be critically acclaimed.

Her first novel, Conversations with Friends was published in 2017 by Faber and Faber.

Her second novel, Normal People was published in August 2018 and was adapted for the BBC Three series in 2020.

Her third, highly-anticipated novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You, was released in September 2021.

After the release of her third novel, Rooney did not allow it to be translated into Hebrew, in support of calls to boycott Israel over its policies towards Palestinians.

In a statement she said: “For the moment, I have chosen not to sell these translation rights to an Israeli-based publishing house.”

Adding that she would not “accept a new contract with an Israeli company that does not publicly distance itself from apartheid and support the UN-stipulated rights of the Palestinian people”.

Is Sally Rooney a marxist?

Rooney describes herself as a marxist and weaves her political beliefs into her novels.

In Normal People, at the beginning of their relationship, Connell recommends Karl Marx’s The Communist Manifesto to Marianne.

What is Conversations with Friends about?

Conversations with Friends is Rooney’s first novel that was published in 2017.

It follows Frances (Alison Oliver), a 21-year-old university student, as she navigates her relationship with former girlfriend turned best friend Bobbi (Sasha Lane).

Frances and Bobbi go everywhere together, and you can often find them performing poetry in Dublin.

It’s here where they meet Melissa (Jemima Kirke), an older writer who is enthralled by the pair.

Bobbi and Frances start to spend time with Melissa and her husband, Nick (Joe Alwyn), who is an actor.

Nick and Frances embark on a secret affair that will test her friendship with Bobbi, forcing Frances to reconsider her sense of self.

When is Conversations with Friends on TV?

Conversations with Friends was released on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer from 15 May.

All episodes are available to watch in one sitting as a box set, but the series will also air weekly every Sunday on BBC Three at 10pm.