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Maeve Binchy

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Maeve Binchy
Binchy at a book signing in Dublin, 2006
Binchy at a book signing in Dublin, 2006
Born(1940-05-28)28 May 1940
Dalkey, County Dublin, Ireland
Died30 July 2012(2012-07-30) (aged 72)
OccupationWriter
LanguageEnglish
NationalityIrish
Alma materUniversity College Dublin
Period1978–2012
GenreFiction, Novel, Short story
Notable worksDeeply Regretted By, Circle of Friends, Tara Road, Scarlet Feather
Notable awardsJacob's Award
1978
W H Smith Book Award for Fiction
2001
Irish Book Award for Lifetime Achievement
2010
SpouseGordon Snell
RelativesWilliam Binchy (brother);
Dan Binchy (cousin);
D. A. Binchy (uncle)
Website
http://www.maevebinchy.com

Maeve Binchy Snell (28 May 1940 – 30 July 2012) was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, columnist and speaker best known for her humorous take on small-town life in Ireland, her descriptive characters, her interest in human nature and her often clever surprise endings.[1][2] Her novels, which were translated into 37 languages, sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, and her death, announced by Vincent Browne on Irish television late on 30 July 2012, was hailed as the passing of Ireland's best-loved and most recognisable writer.[3][4][5][6] Recognised for her generosity to other writers, she finished third — ahead of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Stephen King — in a 2000 poll for World Book Day.[7][3]

Biography

Binchy was born on 28 May 1940 in Dalkey, County Dublin, Ireland, the eldest child of four. She was a sister of William Binchy, Regius Professor of Laws at Trinity College, Dublin. She was a cousin of the writer Dan Binchy. Her uncle was the historian D. A. Binchy (1899–1989).

Educated at University College Dublin,[1][2] she worked as a teacher[2][8] then a journalist at The Irish Times[2] and later became a writer of novels and short stories.

She married Gordon Snell, a children's author. They lived together in Dalkey, not far from where she grew up, until Binchy's death.[9] The following was her view on Gordon, quoted in The Irish Times after her death -- “a writer, a man I loved and he loved me and we got married and it was great and is still great. He believed I could do anything, just as my parents had believed all those years ago, and I started to write fiction and that took off fine. And he loved Ireland, and the fax was invented so we writers could live anywhere we liked, instead of living in London near publishers.”[4]

Death

On 30 July 2012, just ahead of Tonight with Vincent Browne and TV3's late evening news, Vincent Browne and then Alan Cantwell, who respectively anchor these shows, announced that Binchy had died earlier that evening. She was 72 and succumbed to a short illness.[5] Gordon was by her side when she died in a Dublin hospital.[4]

Immediate media reports described Binchy as "beloved", "Ireland's most well-known novelist" and the "best-loved writer of her generation".[4][6] Random politicians such as Regina Doherty and Jerry Buttimer lined up to air their comments.[3] Kathleen Lynch, appearing as a guest on Tonight with Vincent Browne, said Binchy was, for her (Lynch's) money, as worthy an Irish writer as James Joyce or Oscar Wilde, and praised her for selling so many more books than they managed.[10]

Shortly before her death, Binchy told The Irish Times: “I don't have any regrets about any roads I didn't take. Everything went well, and I think that's been a help because I can look back, and I do get great pleasure out of looking back...I've been very lucky and I have a happy old age with good family and friends still around.”[4]

Work

Most of Bincky's novels are set in Ireland, dealing with the tensions between urban and rural life, the contrasts between England and Ireland, and the dramatic changes in Ireland between World War II and the present day. Her books were translated into 37 languages.[3]

She published her debut novel Light a Penny Candle in 1982.

Her first book was rejected five times. She would later describe these rejections as "a slap in the face [...] It's like if you don't go to a dance you can never be rejected but you'll never get to dance either".[3]

While some novels are complete stories (Circle of Friends, Light a Penny Candle) many of her novels revolve around a cast of interrelated characters (The Copper Beech, Silver Wedding, The Lilac Bus, Evening Class, Heart and Soul). Her later novels, Evening Class, Scarlet Feather, Quentins, and Tara Road, feature a continuum of recurring characters.

Her novel Circle of Friends (1990) was made into a 1995 Hollywood movie starring Chris O'Donnell and Minnie Driver with a radical change of ending.[11]

Touring

Binchy announced in 2000 that she would not be going on tours with any more novels, but would be devoting her time to other activities, and to her husband, Gordon Snell. She wrote five further novels — Quentins (2002), Nights of Rain and Stars (2004), Whitethorn Woods (2006), Heart and Soul (2008), and Minding Frankie (2010).[9] Towards the end of her life, Binchy had the following message on her official website: "My health isn't so good these days and I can't travel around to meet people the way I used to. But I'm always delighted to hear from readers, even if it takes me a while to reply."[3]

Other appearances

Binchy and her husband had a cameo appearance together in Fair City on 14 December 2011, less than a year before her death, during which the couple dined in The Hungry Pig.[12]

Awards and honours

In 1978, Binchy won a Jacob's Award for her RTÉ play, Deeply Regretted By. A second award went to the lead actor, Donall Farmer. A 1993 photograph of her by Richard Whitehead[13] belongs to the collection of the National Portrait Gallery (London)[14] and a painting of her by Maeve McCarthy,[15] commissioned in 2005, is on display in the National Gallery of Ireland.[16] In 2001, Scarlet Feather won the W H Smith Book Award for Fiction, defeating works by Joanna Trollope and then reigning Booker winner Margaret Atwood, amongst other contenders.[7] In 2010, she received a lifetime achievement award from the Irish Book Awards.[3]

List of works

Novels[9]
Short story collections[9]

Binchy has also published several short story collections, including:

Other works

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Encyclopædia Britannica entry on Maeve Binchy
  2. ^ a b c d Guardian Unlimited Books
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Author Maeve Binchy dies aged 72". BBC News. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e McGarry, Patsy (31 July 2012). "Maeve Binchy, best-loved writer of her generation, dies aged 72". The Irish Times. Irish Times Trust. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Writer Maeve Binchy dies aged 72". RTÉ News. 30 July 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  6. ^ a b "Beloved Irish writer Maeve Binchy has died, aged 72: Sad news this evening as the death of Ireland's most well-known novelist has passed away after a short illness". The Journal. 30 July 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  7. ^ a b "Award relief for 'anxious' Binchy". BBC News. 27 April 2001. Retrieved 27 April 2001.
  8. ^ An interview with Jana Siciliano for BookReporter.com
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Maeve Binchy's Official Site
  10. ^ "30 July 2012 episode". Tonight with Vincent Browne.
  11. ^ Circle of Friends at IMDB.com
  12. ^ "Maeve Binchy visits Fair City tonight". RTÉ Ten. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 14 December 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  13. ^ "National Portrait Gallery: Collections: Maeve Binchy". 1993. Retrieved 5 February 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |websote= ignored (help)
  14. ^ National Portrait Gallery: Maeve Binchy.
  15. ^ "The Molesworth Gallery: Artists: Maeve McCarthy ARHA". MolesworthGallery.com. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  16. ^ National Gallery unveils portrait of Maeve Binchy, National Gallery of Ireland, October 2005.

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