Maurice Leitch facts for kids

Maurice Leitch MBE (born 5 July 1933) is a well-known author from Northern Ireland. He writes many different types of stories, including novels, short stories, and plays. He has also created screenplays and documentaries for radio and TV.

Maurice Leitch's first novel, The Liberty Lad, came out in 1965. His second novel, Poor Lazarus, won the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1969. Later, his book Silver's City was awarded the Whitbread Prize in 1981. These awards show how important his writing has been.

Before becoming a full-time writer, Leitch worked as a teacher in primary schools in Antrim. In 1960, he joined BBC Northern Ireland as a producer and writer. He later moved to London in 1970 to work in the BBC's Radio drama department. From 1977 to 1989, he was the editor of Radio Four's popular show, Book at Bedtime. He left the BBC in 1989 to focus completely on writing. In 1998, he received an MBE award for his contributions to literature.

Early Life and Writing in Ireland

Maurice Henry Leitch was born on July 5, 1933, in the village of Muckamore, County Antrim. His parents were Jean and Andrew Leitch. He went to school at Methodist College Belfast and Stranmillis College. His background in Northern Ireland, especially his Protestant upbringing, gave him a special way of looking at the history of the region. This unique view often appeared in his novels.

While teaching in Antrim, Leitch started his writing career. He wrote articles about the Antrim countryside for the Belfast Telegraph newspaper. He then began writing short stories for Northern Ireland Children's Hour. He followed a path similar to other famous writers from Ulster who joined the BBC. Leitch became a producer and writer in the BBC Features department in 1960.

In 1960, he also started writing radio dramas, beginning with The Old House. During his time at the BBC in Belfast, he wrote and produced many documentaries. His novel The Liberty Lad was published in 1965. It told the story of a schoolmaster, a factory facing closure, and a corrupt politician.

His second novel, Poor Lazarus, came out in 1969. This book was about Albert Yarr, a Protestant character living in a mostly Catholic area. He gets a new chance when a filmmaker hires him for a documentary. Poor Lazarus was highly praised in England and won the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1969.

Working and Writing in London

In 1970, after winning the Guardian Fiction Prize, Leitch moved to London to join the BBC's Radio Drama department. This department was very important in the cultural world at the time. It produced famous works like Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood and plays by writers like Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter.

Leitch's novel Tell Me About It (2007) was a tribute to the legendary people he worked with at Broadcasting House in the 1960s. It tells the story of a young Irish producer exploring London with a tape recorder.

Even though his novels are very important, his work in broadcasting was also a big part of his career and led to his MBE award. He produced plays by writers like James Follett and a radio version of Seán O'Casey's autobiography, I Knock at the Door. As editor of "Book at Bedtime," he introduced listeners to many different authors, from Vladimir Nabokov to Edna O'Brien. He also helped new writers like Timothy Mo get noticed. After leaving the BBC, he produced over 30 audio readings of Terry Pratchett's popular Discworld novels.

Books from 1975 to 1994

His third novel, Stamping Ground (1975), returned to the setting of Ulster. This book is mentioned in studies of Irish novels from that period.

His next novel, Silver's City, was about the difficult topic of paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland. It focused on a character named 'Silver Steele', a former prisoner who faces new challenges and violence after being released. This novel won the prestigious Whitbread Prize in 1981.

His shorter novel, Chinese Whispers, was made into a BBC film in 1987, with Leitch writing the script. In the same year, his collection of short stories, The Hands of Cheryl Boyd and other stories, was published. Burning Bridges followed in 1989.

Burning Bridges tells the story of Sonny and Hazel, two people from Ulster who meet in London. They go on a journey to the West Country of England, trying to achieve Sonny's dream of being like the singer Hank Williams.

In 1994, his novel Gilchrist was reviewed by another Northern Irish novelist, Robert McLiam Wilson. Wilson praised Leitch's writing, saying it had a "compelling, harsh metre." Gilchrist is about a preacher from Ulster who runs away to Spain with church money.

Books from 1995 to 2007

Leitch's short story, 'Green Roads', was included in the 1995 collection The Hurt World: Short Stories of the Troubles. His next novel, The Smoke King, was published in 1998. Robert McLiam Wilson again praised Leitch's work, calling The Smoke King "unique, troubling fiction" that showed Leitch's "integrity and profound knowledge of what the novel is for."

The Smoke King is set in the Northern Ireland countryside during the Second World War. American soldiers are stationed there before going to fight in Europe. The story focuses on a conflict closer to home, involving an American soldier named Willie Washington and a local woman named Pearl. They get caught up in a murder, and the story explores the struggles of the characters.

His next novel, The Eggman's Apprentice, was described as a "superb, beautifully structured novel" with "vivid characterisation" by reviewers.

His 2007 novel, Tell Me About It, was first released as an audiobook read by Leitch himself. Reviewers enjoyed his storytelling style. This novel is a lively and funny tale inspired by the BBC Broadcasting House in the 1960s. It follows a young Northern Irish producer, Blair Burnside, and a journalist, Crilly, as they search for stories in London.

Books from 2009 to Present

Dining at the Dunbar, a collection of seven short stories, was published in 2009. The publisher described the stories as "savage, brutally candid, mordant and ironical." One story, The Valet's Room, was called "one of the darkest stories" in the collection.

The stories in the collection cover many different moods and themes. For example, Swan-Song for the Nightingale is about a former Irish country singer remembering her past. Hear Me Out tells the story of a preacher who finds his voice in a surprising way. Leitch has said that American authors like Raymond Carver and William Faulkner, as well as Irish writer James Joyce, have influenced his storytelling.

Leitch's next book, A Far Cry (2013), was also published in Northern Ireland. This novel is set in the city of Bristol, England, not Belfast. The main character, Walker, has fled Northern Ireland. At night, he sees images of a small village on the northern Irish coast and remembers a "terrible act" he did to protect his friends. The novel explores how past violence can still affect people even in peaceful times.

His second novel of 2013, Seeking Mr Hare, was published in London. This book takes a new direction, continuing from a famous series of crimes that happened in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1828. The novel focuses on the character of Hare, giving him his own voice and showing his survival instincts. It explores how everyday pressures, not just past events, drive him.

A reviewer for The Irish Times called Maurice Leitch "the most under-valued Irish novelist of the past 50 years," highlighting his important but sometimes overlooked contributions to literature.

Published works

• The Liberty Lad (MacGibbon & Kee Ltd, London, 1965)
• Poor Lazarus (MacGibbon & Kee Ltd, London, 1969)
• Stamping Ground (Martin Secker & Warburg, London, 1975)
• Silver's City (Martin Secker & Warburg, London, 1981)
• Chinese Whispers (Hutchinson, London, 1987)
• The Hands of Cheryl Boyd and other stories (Hutchinson, London, 1987)
• Burning Bridges (Hutchinson, London, 1989)
• Gilchrist (Martin Secker &Warburg, 1994)
• The Smoke King (Martin Secker & Warburg, London, 1998)
• The Eggman's Apprentice (Martin Secker & Warburg, 2001)
• Tell Me About It (Absolute Audiobooks, 2007)
• Dining at the Dunbar (Lagan Press, Belfast, 2009)
• A Far Cry (Lagan Press, Belfast, 2013)
• Seeking Mr. Hare (The Clerkenwell Press/Profile Books, London, 2013)
• Gone to Earth (Turnpike Books, Belfast, 2019)

BBC Television Plays and Screenplays

Other Television Work

• Travellers' Tales: Dead Peaks of the Dolomites, BBC One, 1967. Maurice Leitch wrote and presented this program about the Dolomites, a mountain range in Europe, and a group of climbers trying a difficult route.
• Hidden Ground: Part Three, BBC Two, 1990: In this series, Maurice Leitch explored the strongly Protestant area of Six Mile Valley in County Antrim, where he grew up.

Radio Plays