Marian Keyes

She does not believe genes play a part in determining the make up of the individual or their behaviour, telling an interviewer in 2020 that "no one is born a certain way, people learn it".

Keyes's gift for tackling difficult subjects and making them relatable to women all over, without sacrificing quality or tact, has been recognised by her peers. As told to The Irish Times by another Irish author: "It’s a rare gift....The only other writer I can think of who writes so hilariously and movingly about serious subjects was the late, great Sue Townsend."

Abroad she became known for Watermelon, Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married, Rachel's Holiday, Last Chance Saloon, Anybody Out There, and This Charming Man, with themes including alcoholism, depression, addiction, cancer, bereavement, and domestic violence. By March 2017 more than 35 million copies of her 12 novels preceding The Break (2017) had been sold and had been translated into 33 languages. Her writing has won both the Irish Popular Fiction Book and the Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year, each on one occasion, at the Irish Book Awards.

In March 2017, Keyes was a guest castaway for BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. Her favourite track was "You Have Been Loved" by George Michael. She revealed that she had battled constant suicidal urges at the height of her mental illness. During her appearance on the show, Keyes also told host Kirsty Young that in spite of all her efforts to treat her depression, ranging from CBT, medication, mindfulness, hospitalisation, diets, among other things, what finally healed her was time: "It was an illness and it ran its course."

During her appearance on Desert Island Discs in March 2017, Keyes told the host her view that by "conditioning women to think that what they find empowering or valuable is worth less than what men consider to be worthwhile, women are prevented from reaching for parity and the gender gap in power and money between men and women is kept in the favour of men".

In an interview with The Irish Times in 2017, Keyes announced that she suspected "gender bias" to be at play when it comes to the recognition of women writers. She claimed that, despite her perceived success and acclaim, male writers with less commercial success were held in higher regard, indicating her idea that the writing which sells the most is the most well written. "Do you remember in the early noughties when a lot of Irish women writers like Cathy Kelly, Sheila O’Flanagan, Cecelia Ahern were selling all over the world? I don’t feel that was celebrated enough." She went on to "wonder" (her word) that "if a group of young Irish men around the same age had been selling in huge numbers", before directly turning the question she had posed into her view: "I really think it would not have passed unremarked."

In 2015, she herself was accused of a lack of empathy after offending the people of two counties – Leitrim and Roscommon – by insulting them on the night of the election count in the marriage referendum. Even though she deleted her original comment she admitted to having done so for "a cheap laugh", one which alienated readers in two counties.

She is regarded as a pioneer of the chick lit genre; her stories usually revolve around a strong female character who overcomes numerous obstacles to achieve lasting happiness. Regarding her decision to use an optimistic tone and hopeful ending, Keyes has said: "I'm very bleak, really melancholic. But I've always used humour as a survival mechanism. I write for me and I need to feel hopeful about the human condition. So no way I'm going to write a downbeat ending. And it isn't entirely ludicrous to suggest that sometimes things might work out for the best." During an author Q & A in 2014 with Canada's Chatelaine magazine, when asked how she feels about the term "chick lit" Keyes claimed that "it’s meant to be belittling. It’s as if it’s saying, 'Oh you silly girls, with your pinkness and shoes, how will you ever run the world?' But as I’ve matured (haha) I’ve realised that I'm very proud of what I write about and I know that the books I write bring happiness and comfort to people". Yet even her admirers, women themselves, regard her writing as chick lit.

In 2014, after Keyes appeared on Marian Finucane's RTÉ One show to talk about her new book, she told her Twitter followers that Finucane had the "compassion and empathy of a cardboard box. Even my mammy called her a bad word".

Keyes has written frankly about her clinical depression, which left her unable to sleep, read, write, or talk. After a long hiatus due to severe depression, a food title, Saved by Cake, was published in February 2012.

Keyes lives in Dún Laoghaire with her husband Tony Baines, after returning to Ireland from London in 1997.

Keyes began writing short stories while suffering from alcoholism. After her treatment at the Rutland Centre she returned to her job in London and submitted her short stories to Poolbeg Press. The publisher encouraged her to submit a full-length novel and Keyes began work on her first book, Watermelon. The novel was published the same year. Since 1995 she has published 13 novels and four works of non-fiction.

Keyes comes from a large family, with many siblings. Born in Limerick and raised in Monkstown, Dublin, she graduated from University College Dublin with a law degree. After completing her studies, Keyes took an administrative job before moving to London in 1986. During this period she became an alcoholic and was affected by clinical depression, culminating in a suicide attempt and subsequent rehabilitation in 1995 at the Rutland Centre in Dublin. In an article for The Daily Telegraph, Keyes details how her struggles with anxiety, depression, and alcoholism began at an early age.

Marian Keyes (born 10 September 1963) is an Irish writer of fiction noted for its readability. As well as her novels, she produces non-fiction and is best known for her work in women's literature. Much of her writing deals with family life.