Culture That Made Me: Katriona O’Sullivan, author of Poor, picks her touchstones

Harper Lee, the Housewives of Beverly Hills, and the Two Norries feature among O'Sullivan's selections 

Katriona O'Sullivan is at St Luke's as part of Cork World Book Fest. Picture: Ailbhe O'Donnell

Katriona O’Sullivan, 48, was born in Coventry, England to Irish parents. She moved to Dublin in 1998. Having enrolled in a Trinity College access programme, she gained a PhD in psychology, focusing on addition. 

In 2023, she published Poor, a bestselling memoir about her inspiring journey from poverty and homelessness to a career in academia. She will be in discussion with Deirdre O’Shaughnessy of the Irish Examiner at the Cork World Book Festival about her new book, Hungry, in St Luke’s at 2.30pm, Sunday, April 26.