Seamus Deane facts for kids

Seamus Francis Deane (born February 9, 1940 – died May 12, 2021) was a famous Irish writer. He was a poet, wrote novels, and was also a critic and historian. He was best known for his first novel, Reading in the Dark. This book won many awards and was even nominated for the Booker Prize in 1996.

Early Life and Education

Seamus Francis Deane was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, on February 9, 1940. He was the fourth child in his family. Seamus grew up in a Catholic family that supported Irish nationalism.

He went to St. Columb's College in his hometown. There, he became good friends with another student named Seamus Heaney. Later, both Seamus Deane and Seamus Heaney studied at Queen's University Belfast. Seamus Deane then earned his PhD from Pembroke College, Cambridge.

Even though he became known for his poetry, Seamus Deane decided to work in universities. He taught in Derry for a while. One of his students was Martin McGuinness, who later became a well-known politician. McGuinness remembered Deane as a "gentle, kind" teacher who was highly respected.

Career and Contributions

After finishing his studies, Seamus Deane taught at the University of California, Berkeley in the 1960s. For the next 20 years, he also taught at the School of Irish Studies in Dublin.

He became a professor of English and American literature at University College Dublin. In 1992, he moved to the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, USA. There, he held a special position as the Donald and Marilyn Keough Chair of Irish Studies. He later retired from this role.

Seamus Deane was a member of the Royal Irish Academy. He also helped start the Field Day Theatre Company. He worked on this with his friend Seamus Heaney and others like Tom Paulin and David Hammond.

He was also an editor for Field Day Review, a yearly magazine about Irish studies. He helped create this magazine with Breandán Mac Suibhne. Seamus Deane also edited the Penguin Classic James Joyce book series. He worked on a book series called Critical Conditions about Irish Studies. This series was published by the University of Notre Dame Press and Cork University Press.

Family Life

Seamus Deane was married to Marion first. They had four children: Conor, Ciarán, Cormac, and Émer. Later, he was in a civil partnership with Emer Nolan. They had one child together named Iseult.

Seamus Deane passed away on May 12, 2021, in Dublin. He was 81 years old and had been ill for a short time.

His Writings

Seamus Deane's first collection of poems was called Gradual Wars, published in 1972. It won the AE Memorial Award for Literature.

His first novel, Reading in the Dark, came out in 1996. This book was partly based on his own life. It won many awards, including the 1996 Guardian Fiction Prize. It was also named a New York Times Notable Book. The novel won the Irish Times International Fiction Prize and the Irish Literature Prize in 1997. It was even nominated for the Booker Prize in 1996. This popular book was translated into more than 20 languages.

Seamus Deane was also the main editor for a huge book series called Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing. This collection was 4,000 pages long! The first books were released in 1990. Some people later said it didn't include enough voices and stories from Irish women. Deane said he was surprised and upset by this criticism. He realized he had made some of the same mistakes he had criticized in others.

In his critical writings, Deane looked at history and literature from Ireland, Britain, and France. He used a way of thinking called "postcolonialism." This means he explored how countries were affected by being ruled by other countries.

His critical books include:

• Celtic Revivals: Essays in Modern Irish Literature 1880–1980 (1985)
• A Short History of Irish Literature (1986)
• Strange Country: Modernity and Nationhood in Irish Writing since 1790 (1997)
• Foreign Affections: Essays on Edmund Burke (2004)

His poetry collections include:

• While Jewels Rot (1966)
• Gradual Wars (1972)
• Rumours (1977)
• History Lessons (1983)
• Selected Poems (1988)