Catherine Dunne was born in Dublin. Her first novel, In the Beginning, was published in 1997. It became an international bestseller and was shortlisted for the Bancarella, the Italian Bookseller's Prize. A Name for Himself, which followed in 1998, was shortlisted for the Kerry Ingredients Book of the Year Award. The Walled Garden was published in 2000 and Another Kind of Life in 2003, both to critical and popular acclaim. Catherine Dunne lives in Dublin.