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John Banville
Banville in 2019
Banville in 2019
Born (1945-12-08) 8 December 1945 (age 79)
Wexford, Ireland
Pen name Benjamin Black
B. W. Black
Occupation Novelist
Screenwriter
Language Hiberno-English
Alma mater St Peter's College, Wexford
Subjects Acting, mathematics, mythology, painting, science
Years active 1970s—present
Notable works Doctor Copernicus
Kepler
The Newton Letter
The Book of Evidence
Ghosts
Athena
The Untouchable
Eclipse
Shroud
The Sea
The Infinities
Ancient Light
Notable awards James Tait Black Memorial Prize
1976
Booker Prize
2005
Franz Kafka Prize
2011
Austrian State Prize for European Literature
2013
Prince of Asturias Award for Literature
2014
StellaItalia-Cav.png Ordine della Stella d'Italia
2017
Spouse Janet Dunham (div.)
Children 4

William John Banville (born 8 December 1945) is a famous Irish writer. He writes novels, short stories, and screenplays for movies. Some people say he writes like Marcel Proust or Vladimir Nabokov. But Banville himself says that W. B. Yeats and Henry James are his biggest influences.

Banville has won many important awards. These include the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1976 and the famous Booker Prize in 2005. He also received the Franz Kafka Prize in 2011. In 2017, Italy even made him a Cavaliere of the Order of the Star of Italy. This is like being made a knight! He used to be part of Aosdána, an Irish arts group. He gave up his payment in 2001 to help another writer who needed it more.

Banville was born and grew up in Wexford, Ireland. He published his first novel, Nightspawn, in 1971. His book The Sea won the Booker Prize in 2005. He also writes exciting crime novels under the name Benjamin Black. These books often feature a character named Quirke, a pathologist in 1950s Dublin. He even used the name B. W. Black for his 2020 novel The Secret Guests. Many people think Banville might win the Nobel Prize in Literature one day. He lives in Dublin, Ireland.

Early Life and Career

John Banville was born in Wexford, Ireland. His parents were Agnes and Martin Banville. He is the youngest of three children. His older brother, Vincent, is also a novelist. His sister, Anne Veronica, has written a children's novel. As a teenager, Banville loved to read. He once borrowed a book of Dylan Thomas's poetry from the library.

Banville went to school at CBS Primary and St Peter's College, Wexford. He didn't go to university. He had thought about becoming a painter or an architect. He believes not going to college helped him. He felt it gave him the courage to try new things as a young writer.

After school, Banville worked for Aer Lingus, an airline. This job let him travel cheaply to places like Greece and Italy. When he came back to Ireland, he became a sub-editor at The Irish Press newspaper. He later became the chief sub-editor. Before that newspaper closed, he moved to The Irish Times. He became their literary editor in 1998. He later left The Irish Times to focus on his writing.

Personal Life

John Banville has two sons from his marriage to Janet Dunham. He met her in the United States in the 1960s. He also has two daughters from another relationship. Banville does not eat meat.

Exploring John Banville's Writing

Banville published his first collection of short stories, Long Lankin, in 1970. He doesn't like his first novel, Nightspawn, calling it "pretentious".

In the 1980s, when his book Kepler came out, he couldn't find his books in Dublin's bookstores. But he didn't mind. He was happy writing the books he wanted to write. He knew people weren't forced to buy them.

Since 1990, Banville has often written for The New York Review of Books.

His Famous Trilogies

Banville has written three sets of three books, called trilogies.

  • The Revolutions Trilogy: This set of books is about famous scientists. It includes Doctor Copernicus (1976), Kepler (1981), and The Newton Letter (1982). Banville became interested in scientists like Johannes Kepler after reading The Sleepwalkers. He realized scientists also try to bring order to their work, just like writers.
  • The Frames Trilogy: This trilogy includes The Book of Evidence (1989), Ghosts (1993), and Athena (1995). These books often feature a narrator who might not be telling the whole truth. They also explore the power of art.
  • The Alexander and Cass Cleave Trilogy: This set of books is about characters named Alexander and Cass Cleave. It includes Eclipse, Shroud, and Ancient Light.

Banville has also written about famous paintings. For example, he wrote about Caravaggio's 1602 painting The Taking of Christ. This was for a book celebrating the National Gallery of Ireland's 150th anniversary.

Banville's Unique Writing Style

Banville often says he dislikes his own work. He believes writers should always try to do better. He doesn't read reviews of his books. He feels he already knows their flaws "better than any reviewer."

He has a regular writing routine. He drives from his home to his office in Dublin. He writes from 9 a.m. until lunch. After a simple meal, he continues writing until 6 p.m. He writes at two desks. One faces a wall, and the other faces a window with no view. He tells young writers that they are "on their own" and there's "no help available anywhere." He compares writing to being an athlete. You have to perform at your best for many hours each day.

Themes and Language

Critics praise Banville's writing style. They call it beautiful, perfectly crafted, and dazzling. He is known for his dark humor and sharp wit. Many describe his writing as "dangerous and clear-running prose." Others call him "one of the great stylists writing in English today." His style is often described as "lyrical" and "fastidious."

Banville wants to mix poetry and fiction into a new form. He writes in the Hiberno-English dialect, which is how English is spoken in Ireland. He worries this unique way of speaking might be lost if he moved away.

Literary Inspirations

Banville has spoken about his favorite writers. He likes Vladimir Nabokov's style. He also finds Heinrich von Kleist important. Banville has even adapted some of Kleist's plays. He used the myth of Amphitryon from Kleist's work for his novel The Infinities.

As a boy, Banville tried to imitate James Joyce. He was amazed by how Joyce wrote about real life in Dubliners. Banville sees himself as a follower of Samuel Beckett. He also says Henry James and W. B. Yeats are his main influences. He has even said that writers like Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Albert Camus are not as good.

Views and Interests

Admiration for Women

Banville has often shown his respect for women. He believes there is no difference between men and women. He sees them simply as people. Many people note his special talent for writing about women. He can really explore their thoughts and feelings.

He wrote the introduction for a collection of stories by Edna O'Brien. He called her "one of the most sophisticated writers now at work." He admired how her characters were often "damaged by the world, and specifically by the world of men." He called O'Brien "simply one of the finest writers of our time."

Banville also worked on a movie script for Elizabeth Bowen's novel The Last September. He later wrote the introduction for her Collected Stories. He was also close friends with literary editors Caroline Walsh and Eileen Battersby. He dedicated his novel Ancient Light to Caroline Walsh.

Caring for Animals

Banville cares deeply about animals. He had a labrador dog named Ben who lived for 11 years. Even decades later, Banville still thought of Ben as "a lost friend." He said Ben would sometimes appear in his dreams.

In 2017, Banville called a radio show to talk about animal testing. He said it was "absolutely disgraceful." He had seen people protesting outside Trinity College Dublin about it. He wrote a letter to The Irish Times to protest. He believes that if animal testing doesn't cause pain, then scientists should volunteer for the experiments themselves. He believes we should not cause needless pain to innocent animals.

Awards and Recognitions

John Banville has received many awards for his writing.

Winning the Booker Prize

Literaktum John Banville (24741154858)
Banville in Spain in 2017

The Booker Prize is a very important award for English-language novels. In 1981, Banville joked that he should get the prize money. He wanted to buy all the nominated books and give them to libraries.

His novel The Book of Evidence was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1989. He was told to bet on the other books. If he won, he'd get the prize money. If he lost, one of the others would win. But he didn't place any bets.

Banville was shortlisted again in 2005 for his novel The Sea. The judges were split between Banville and another writer, Kazuo Ishiguro. The head judge, John Sutherland, made the final decision. He chose Banville. Banville later said it was very generous of Sutherland to pick him.

When the rules changed to allow American writers to enter, Banville first liked the idea. But he later felt it made the prize less special. He thought it should go back to its original form.

The Franz Kafka Prize

In 2011, Banville won the Franz Kafka Prize. This is another important literary award. Banville was very happy to receive it. He said it was "one of the ones one really wants to get." He had been interested in Franz Kafka's work since he was a teenager.

Nobel Prize Hoax

In 2019, Banville experienced a strange event. He received a phone call from someone pretending to be from the Swedish Academy. This person told him he had won the Nobel Prize in Literature. The caller even read out the usual announcement. Banville was at a physiotherapy appointment at the time. He told his daughter the exciting news.

However, when the real Nobel Prize announcement happened, Banville's name was not called. His daughter quickly called him back to tell him. Banville then had to call everyone he had told to say it was a mistake.

Later, the person who made the hoax call left a voicemail. They claimed the Swedish Academy had changed its mind. Banville realized the voice was different from the real person. He felt sorry for the hoaxer but also thought it was meant to cause trouble for the Academy. He called himself "collateral damage." The real Swedish Academy members said it sounded like a "bad joke." Despite the disappointment, Banville handled it well. He even saw some humor in the situation. He said it could be material for a new story: "The man who nearly won the Nobel prize."

Works by John Banville

  • Nightspawn. London: Secker & Warburg, 1971
  • Birchwood. London: Secker & Warburg, 1973
  • The Revolutions Trilogy:
    • Doctor Copernicus. London: Secker & Warburg, 1976
    • Kepler. London: Secker & Warburg, 1981
    • The Newton Letter. London: Secker & Warburg, 1982
  • Mefisto. London: Secker & Warburg, 1986
  • The Frames Trilogy
    • The Book of Evidence. London: Secker & Warburg, 1989
    • Ghosts. London: Secker & Warburg, 1993
    • Athena. London: Secker & Warburg, 1995
  • The Untouchable. London: Picador, 1997
  • The Alexander and Cass Cleave Trilogy
    • Eclipse. London: Picador, 2000
    • Shroud. London: Picador, 2002
    • Ancient Light. London: Viking Penguin, 2012
  • The Sea. London: Picador, 2005
  • The Infinities. London: Picador, 2009
  • The Blue Guitar. London: Viking Penguin, 2015
  • Mrs Osmond. London: Penguin, 2017
  • Snow. London: Faber & Faber, 2020 ISBN: 978-1335230003
  • The Secret Guests. London: Penguin, 2020 ISBN: 9780241305317
  • April in Spain. London: Faber & Faber, 2021
  • The Singularities. London: Knopf, 2022
  • The Lock-up. London: Faber & Faber, 2023 ISBN: 978-0571370979
  • The Drowned. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Hanover Square Press. 2024.

See also

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