David Marcus (writer) facts for kids

David Marcus (born August 21, 1924, in County Cork, died May 9, 2009) was an Irish Jewish editor and writer. He spent his life supporting and editing Irish stories and books. He helped many new writers get their start.

David Marcus's Life and Work

David Marcus was born in County Cork, Ireland, in 1924. He became a very important editor of many collections of Irish stories and poems. These included the popular Phoenix Irish Short Stories books.

Helping New Irish Writers

One of his most famous projects was a special page called New Irish Writing in the Irish Press newspaper. This page was a place for new Irish authors to share their work. Marcus published many famous Irish writers for the very first time here. Some of these writers include Dermot Bolger, Anne Enright, Neil Jordan, Claire Keegan, John McGahern, Joseph O'Connor, and Colm Tóibín. A famous writer named Fintan O'Toole said that David Marcus was "the single most important literary editor in Ireland in the second half of the 20th century." This shows how much he helped Irish literature grow.

His Own Books

David Marcus also wrote his own successful novels. In 1986, he published A Land Not Theirs. This book was a fictional story about the Jewish community in Cork during the Irish War of Independence. It became a bestseller. His second novel, A Land in Flames, also did very well. It was also inspired by his experiences growing up in the Cork Jewish community.

In 2001, Marcus wrote a book about his own life called Oughtobiography – Leaves from the diary of a hyphenated Jew. In this book, he shared his experiences as an Irish Jew and as a key person in Irish literature.

Awards and Family Life

On June 3, 2005, David Marcus received a special award. The National University of Ireland, University College, Cork, gave him an honorary Doctor of Literature degree. This was to celebrate his important contributions to writing.

David Marcus was married to another Irish novelist named Ita Daly. They lived in Rathgar in Dublin. In 2016, Ita Daly wrote a book about their life together called I'll Drop You a Line: A Life With David Marcus.