Sebastian Barry is an Irish novelist, playwright, and poet. He was born on 5 July 1955, in Dublin, Ireland. Barry is recognized for his dense, literary writing style and is regarded as one of Ireland's foremost contemporary writers.

Barry initially began his literary career as a poet before transitioning into playwriting and novel writing. Over the years, his fiction has gained more prominence and success compared to his earlier theatrical works.

He has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize twice, for his novels A Long Long Way (2005) and The Secret Scripture (2008). The latter won both the 2008 Costa Book of the Year and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.

His novel On Canaan's Side (2011) was longlisted for the Booker Prize. In 2017, Barry was again awarded the Costa Book of the Year prize for Days Without End, making him the first novelist to win the prestigious award twice.

Barry was named Laureate for Irish Fiction from 2018 to 2021.