Bernard MacLaverty facts for kids

Bernard MacLaverty was born on September 14, 1942. He is a famous writer from Northern Ireland. He writes novels and short stories. Some of his well-known novels are Cal and Grace Notes. He has also written many collections of short stories.

About Bernard MacLaverty

Early Life and Education

Bernard MacLaverty was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He grew up in the Newington area. He went to Holy Family Primary School and then St Malachy's College. After school, he studied at Queen's University Belfast. He worked as a medical laboratory technician for a while.

Becoming a Writer

Bernard MacLaverty showed some of his early poems to the famous poet Seamus Heaney. Seamus Heaney suggested that Bernard should focus on writing short stories. This advice helped him become the great writer he is today.

Moving to Scotland

Bernard MacLaverty lived in Belfast until 1975. Then, he moved to Scotland with his wife, Madeline, and their four children. They first lived in Edinburgh and then on the island of Islay. Later, they settled in the West End of Glasgow.

Writer-in-Residence Roles

Bernard MacLaverty has been a "writer-in-residence" at several universities. This means he spent time at these universities to teach and help other writers. He worked at universities in Aberdeen, Liverpool, Augsburg, and Iowa. In 2007, he was also an artist-in-residence at the University of Toronto in Canada.

Bernard MacLaverty's Books and Films

His Novels

Bernard MacLaverty has written five novels. His first novel, Lamb, came out in 1980. It explores ideas about faith, relationships, and love. His next novel was Cal, published in 1983. This book looks at love during times of violence.

In 1997, he published Grace Notes. This novel was even nominated for the Booker Prize, a very important award for books. It tells a story about wanting to create music while also being a mother. His novel The Anatomy School (2001) is a funny story about growing up.

Short Story Collections

Besides novels, Bernard MacLaverty has written seven collections of short stories. Many of these stories are gathered together in his book Collected Stories, which came out in 2013. His most recent collection, Blank Pages and Other Stories, was published in 2021.

Books on Screen

Two of Bernard MacLaverty's novels have been made into movies. He wrote the screenplay for Cal himself. The film Cal came out in 1984. It starred Helen Mirren and John Lynch. The music for the film was created by Mark Knopfler. Helen Mirren won an award for Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in Cal.

He also adapted his novel Lamb for a film. The movie Lamb was released in 1985. It featured Liam Neeson and Hugh O'Conor. The soundtrack for Lamb was composed by Van Morrison.

Other Creative Works

Bernard MacLaverty has also written for other types of media. He has written plays for radio and television. He has also written libretti, which are the words for operas. In 2003, he wrote and directed a short film called Bye-Child. This film was nominated for a BAFTA award. He also wrote the words for two operas for Scottish Opera, The King’s Conjecture and The Letter. In 2012, he wrote The Elephant Angel, an opera for schools that toured Scotland and Northern Ireland.

List of Published Works

Novels

• Lamb, Cape / Blackstaff Press (1980)
• Cal, Cape / Blackstaff Press (1983)
• Grace Notes, Cape / Blackstaff Press (1997)
• The Anatomy School, Cape / Blackstaff Press (2001)
• Midwinter Break: A Novel, W. W. Norton & Company (2017)

Short story collections

• Secrets & Other Stories, Blackstaff Press (1977)
• A Time to Dance & Other Stories, Cape / Blackstaff Press (1982)
• The Great Profundo & Other Stories, Cape / Blackstaff Press (1987)
• Walking the Dog & Other Stories, Cape / Blackstaff Press (1994)
• Matters of Life & Death & Other Stories, Cape (2006)
• Collected Stories, Cape (2013)
• Blank Pages and Other Stories, Cape (2021)

Awards and Recognition

Bernard MacLaverty has received several awards for his writing:

• 1988 - 'Scottish Writer of the Year'
• 2005 - The Lord Provost of Glasgow’s Award for Literature
• 2018 - Hennessy Literary Hall of Fame
• 2018 - Sunday Herald Culture Awards Best Writer Award 2018

He is also a member of Aosdána, which is an Irish academy for artists.

See also

• List of Northern Irish writers
• List of members of Aosdána
• The Dawning