Maeve Binchy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maeve Binchy
Binchy in 2006 at a book signing in Dublin
Born	Anne Maeve Binchy (1939-05-28)28 May 1939 Dalkey, Dublin, Ireland
Died	30 July 2012(2012-07-30) (aged 73) Dalkey, Dublin, Ireland
Occupation	Writer
Language	English
Nationality	Irish
Alma mater	University College Dublin
Period	1978–2012
Genre	Fiction, play, short story, travel writing
Literary movement	Post-war Irish fiction
Notable works	Deeply Regretted By..., Circle of Friends, Tara Road, Scarlet Feather
Notable awards	Jacob's Award 1978 British Book Award for Lifetime Achievement 1999 People of the Year Award 2000 W H Smith Book Award for Fiction 2001 Irish PEN/AT Cross Award 2007 Irish Book Award for Lifetime Achievement 2010
Spouse	Gordon Snell (m. 1977–2012, her death)
Relatives	William Binchy (brother) 2 sisters D. A. Binchy (uncle)

Maeve Binchy (born 28 May 1939 – died 30 July 2012) was a much-loved Irish writer. She wrote many novels, plays, and short stories.

Her books often showed the funny and warm side of life in small Irish towns. They were known for their surprising endings. Maeve Binchy's novels were translated into 37 languages. More than 40 million copies were sold around the world!

When she passed away at age 73, many people in Ireland and beyond were sad. She was seen as one of Ireland's most popular writers. Maeve Binchy's books were even best-sellers in the United States. She was featured in Oprah's Book Club. People admired her kindness and how she supported other writers. In a 2000 poll for World Book Day, she was voted third favorite author. She was even ahead of famous writers like Jane Austen and Charles Dickens!

About Maeve Binchy

Her Early Life

Maeve Binchy was born on 28 May 1939 in Dalkey, Dublin, Ireland. She was the oldest of four children. Her parents were William and Maureen Binchy. She had a brother, William Binchy, and two sisters.

Maeve went to school at St Anne's and Holy Child Killiney. Later, she studied history at University College Dublin. After college, she worked as a teacher. She taught French, Latin, and history at girls' schools. Then, she became a journalist for The Irish Times newspaper. Eventually, she became a famous novelist and short story writer.

In 1968, her mother passed away. Her father died in 1971. After that, Maeve sold the family home and moved to Dublin.

Her Faith and Travels

Maeve grew up Catholic and went to a convent school. However, a trip to Israel changed her views. She visited a place thought to be where the Last Supper happened. She realized her expectations were very different from reality. This experience led her to become agnostic, meaning she wasn't sure about God.

Her Marriage

Maeve Binchy was tall and friendly. She once said that growing up, she didn't feel very attractive. She thought she might live alone.

But then, she met children's author Gordon Snell in London. He was working for the BBC. They became friends, even though she lived in Ireland and he in London. Later, Maeve got a job in London with The Irish Times.

Maeve and Gordon married in 1977. They lived in London for a while, then moved back to Dalkey, Ireland. This was close to where Maeve grew up. She said Gordon believed in her writing, just like her parents had. She felt very lucky to have him.

Her Health Journey

In 2002, Maeve Binchy had health problems with her heart. This experience inspired her to write the book Heart and Soul. The story is about a heart clinic in Dublin. It shares many of her own experiences and observations from the hospital.

Towards the end of her life, Maeve's website mentioned her health wasn't good. She couldn't travel as much to meet readers. But she always loved hearing from them.

Her Passing

Maeve Binchy passed away on 30 July 2012, at age 73. She had been dealing with health issues, including painful osteoarthritis. A month before she died, she had a serious spinal infection. She finally passed away from a heart attack. Gordon, her husband, was with her in the hospital.

News of her death was announced on Irish television. People described her as "beloved" and "Ireland's most well-known novelist." Many writers and politicians shared their sadness. President Michael D. Higgins said, "Our country mourns." Taoiseach Enda Kenny called her "a national treasure."

Just before she died, Maeve told The Irish Times she had no regrets. She felt very lucky and had a happy old age with family and friends. She even read her latest short story at the Dalkey Book Festival.

Even though she was agnostic, Maeve had a traditional funeral service. It took place in her hometown of Dalkey. She was later cremated.

Maeve Binchy's Work

Her Start in Journalism

Maeve Binchy's writing career began by chance in the early 1960s. She had spent time working on a farm in Israel. Her father loved her letters home so much that he sent them to an Irish newspaper. The newspaper published them!

The Irish Independent newspaper was impressed. They paid her £16 for her writing. This was a lot of money back then, about a week and a half's salary for her. In 1968, Maeve joined The Irish Times. She worked as a writer and columnist. She was even the first editor for the "Women's Page."

Her first published book was a collection of her newspaper articles. It was called My First Book and came out in 1970. It's now out of print.

Her Novels and Stories

Maeve Binchy wrote 16 novels, four short-story collections, a play, and a novella. Her 17th novel, A Week in Winter, was published after she died.

Her first book was rejected five times. She said it felt like "a slap in the face." But she also said, "if you don't go to a dance you can never be rejected but you'll never get to dance either."

Her first novel, Light a Penny Candle, came out in 1982. It sold for a huge amount of money for a first novel: £52,000. This was great timing, as she and her husband were behind on their mortgage payments! Maeve Binchy became one of Ireland's richest women. She even joked that she could write as fast as she could talk.

Most of her stories are set in Ireland. They often show the differences between city and country life. They also explore how Ireland changed after World War II. Her books have been translated into 37 languages.

Some of her novels are complete stories, like Circle of Friends. Others follow the lives of many connected characters. Examples include The Copper Beech and Evening Class.

In 2000, Maeve announced she would stop touring for her novels. She wanted to spend more time with her husband. She still published five more novels before her death. After she passed away, two more collections of her short stories were released.

Public Appearances

Maeve Binchy often appeared on The Late Late Show in Ireland. She talked about her books and her life. She shared details about how much money her books earned. For example, Light a Penny Candle earned her £5,000 at first. The paperback rights sold for a record £52,000.

In 1999, Maeve Binchy appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She also had a small acting part with her husband in the Irish TV show Fair City in 2011.

Awards and Honours

Maeve Binchy received many awards for her writing.

• In 1978, she won a Jacob's Award for her play Deeply Regretted By....
• In 1999, she received the British Book Award for Lifetime Achievement. This award honored her entire career.
• In 2000, she received a People of the Year Award.
• In 2001, her book Scarlet Feather won the W H Smith Book Award for Fiction.
• In 2007, she received the Irish PEN Award. This award is given to important Irish writers.
• In 2010, she received another lifetime achievement award from the Irish Book Awards.
• In 2012, her final novel, A Week in Winter, won an Irish Book Award for popular fiction.

After Her Death

After Maeve Binchy passed away, people suggested naming a new bridge in Dublin after her. The bridge was eventually named after a trade unionist, Rosie Hackett.

In September 2012, a new garden was opened in Dalkey, her hometown. It was dedicated to Maeve Binchy's memory.

In 2014, University College Dublin started the Maeve Binchy Travel Award. This award gives €4000 to students. It helps them travel to improve their writing skills.

The popular Irish TV show Derry Girls also paid tribute to her. A character in the show mentioned being a fan of Maeve Binchy's books.

List of Works

Books by Maeve Binchy

Maeve Binchy wrote many types of books. Two collections of short stories, Chestnut Street (2014) and A Few of the Girls (2015), were released after she died.

Novels

• Light a Penny Candle (1982)
• Echoes (1985)
• Firefly Summer (1987)
• Silver Wedding (1988)
• Circle of Friends (1990)
• The Copper Beech (1992)
• The Glass Lake (1994)
• Evening Class (1996)
• Tara Road (1998)
• Scarlet Feather (2000)
• Quentins (2002)
• Nights of Rain and Stars (2004)
• Whitethorn Woods (2006)
• Heart and Soul (2008)
• Minding Frankie (2010)
• A Week in Winter (2012)

Short Story Collections

• Central Line (1978)
• Victoria Line (1980)
• Dublin 4 (1981)
• London Transports (1983)
• The Lilac Bus (1984)
• Story Teller: Collection of Short Stories (1990)
• Dublin People (1993)
• Cross Lines (1996)
• This Year It Will Be Different: And Other Stories (1996)
• The Return Journey (1998)
• Chestnut Street (2014)
• A Few of the Girls (2015)

Novellas

• The Builders (2002)
• Star Sullivan (2006)
• Full House (2012)

Non-fiction

• My First Book (1970)
• Aches and Pains (1999)
• A Time to Dance (2006)
• The Maeve Binchy Writer's Club (2008)
• Maeve's Times: In Her Own Words (2015)

Plays

• Deeply Regretted By... (2005)
• The Half Promised Land (1980)

Other Works

• Finbar's Hotel (contributor)
• Ladies Night at Finbar's Hotel (contributor)
• Irish Girls About Town (2002) (editor)

Films, Radio, and Television

Maeve Binchy wrote some dramas especially for radio and film. Also, many of her novels and short stories were made into films or TV shows.

Films

• Circle of Friends (1995) – A Hollywood movie based on her novel Circle of Friends.
• Tara Road (2005) – A Hollywood movie based on her novel Tara Road. This book was chosen for Oprah's Book Club.
• How About You (2007) – An Irish film based on her short story "How About You."

Interestingly, part of the Danish film Italian for Beginners (2000) used ideas from Binchy's novel Evening Class. The film company later paid her for this.

Radio

Maeve Binchy was a frequent and popular guest on RTÉ Radio. She wrote many radio dramas. For example, her play Surprise was a four-part radio drama. Other radio works included Infancy and Tia Maria. Her story The Games Room was also adapted for radio.

Television

• Deeply Regretted By... (1978) – Maeve won an award for this RTÉ One TV play.
• Echoes (1988) – A four-part TV miniseries based on her novel Echoes.
• The Lilac Bus (1990) – A TV movie based on her collection of short stories called The Lilac Bus.
• Maeve Binchy's Anner House (2007) – A TV movie based on one of her short stories.

See also

In Spanish: Maeve Binchy para niños

• List of Fair City characters