William Trevor facts for kids

William Trevor (born William Trevor Cox) was a famous Irish writer. He wrote novels, plays, and especially short stories. Many people thought he was one of the best short story writers of his time. He was born on May 24, 1928, and passed away on November 20, 2016, at 88 years old.

Trevor won the Whitbread Prize three times. He was also nominated five times for the Booker Prize, which is a very important award for novels. His last nomination was for his novel Love and Summer in 2009. He lived in England from 1954 until he died.

About William Trevor's Life

William Trevor Cox was born in Mitchelstown, County Cork, Ireland. His family was middle-class and Protestant. Because his father worked for a bank, they moved many times. They lived in towns like Skibbereen, Tipperary, Youghal, and Enniscorthy.

He went to St. Columba's College, Dublin and then Trinity College Dublin. There, he studied history. After college, he worked as a sculptor, using the name Trevor Cox. He also taught to earn extra money.

In 1952, he married Jane Ryan. Two years later, they moved to Great Britain. He worked as a copywriter for an advertising company. During this time, he and his wife had their first son.

Becoming a Full-Time Writer

His first novel, A Standard of Behaviour, came out in 1958. It wasn't very successful. William Trevor later said he didn't like this book. He didn't want it to be printed again, though it was republished later.

In 1964, when he was 36, Trevor won the Hawthornden Prize for Literature for his book The Old Boys. This award encouraged him to become a full-time writer. He and his family then moved to Devon in South West England. He lived there for the rest of his life.

Even though he spent most of his life in England, he always felt "Irish in every vein." He received an honorary KBE (Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2002 for his great contributions to literature.

William Trevor's Books and Stories

William Trevor wrote many collections of short stories. These stories were very popular. His short stories often focused on people who felt a bit left out of society. These characters might be children, older people, single adults, or people who weren't happy in their marriages.

Characters and Themes

Many of his characters would create their own imaginary worlds. They would retreat into these worlds when they couldn't deal with real life. Some of his stories also used dark, mysterious elements. These parts explored ideas about evil and madness.

Trevor said that James Joyce, another famous writer, influenced his short stories. Even though his stories sometimes showed the sad parts of life, they weren't always gloomy. Especially in his early works, he used a clever sense of humor. This made his stories feel like a mix of sad and funny.

Settings and Adaptations

Trevor's stories were set in both England and Ireland. They ranged from funny, dark comedies to tales about Irish history and politics. A common theme was the differences between Protestant landowners and Catholic tenants in Ireland.

Many of his early books featured unusual characters. These characters spoke in a very proper way and did funny things. Instead of one main character, his novels often had several important characters. They were brought together by a shared place, like a boarding house.

Later, his novels became more complex. They explored ideas about grace and used different voices to tell the same events. This showed how life can be confusing and broken into many pieces. Two of his novels, Fools of Fortune and The Story of Lucy Gault, also looked at the decline of old, grand Irish houses.

Many of his works were turned into plays, TV shows, and radio programs. For example, Fools of Fortune became a film in 1990. Felicia's Journey was also made into a movie in 1999.

Notable Works

• The Old Boys (1964)
• The Children of Dynmouth (1976)
• Fools of Fortune (1983)
• Felicia's Journey (1994)
• The Story of Lucy Gault (2002)
• Love and Summer (2009)

Awards and Honors

William Trevor was a member of important literary groups like the Irish Academy of Letters and Aosdána. He received many awards for his writing.

• In 1977, he was given an honorary CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire).
• In 1994, he became a Companion of Literature.
• In 2002, he received an honorary KBE (Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire).

He was nominated for the Booker Prize five times. He won the Whitbread Prize three times and the Hawthornden Prize for Literature once.

Since 2002, when writers from outside America could win, Trevor won the O. Henry Award four times for his short stories. These included Sacred Statues (2002), The Dressmaker's Child (2006), The Room (2007), and Folie à Deux (2008).

In 2011, he was also a finalist for the International Dublin Literary Award.

Key Awards and Recognition

• 1965: Hawthornden Prize for Literature for The Old Boys
• 1976: Whitbread Award for The Children of Dynmouth
• 1982: Jacob's Award for a TV show based on The Ballroom of Romance
• 1983: Whitbread Prize for Fools of Fortune
• 1994: Whitbread Prize for Best Novel for Felicia's Journey
• 1999: David Cohen Prize for his lifetime of work
• 2002: Irish PEN Award
• 2003: Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award
• 2008: Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award in Irish Literature

Remembering William Trevor

People have created monuments to remember William Trevor.

• On August 25, 2004, a bronze sculpture was unveiled in his hometown of Mitchelstown. It looks like a lectern with an open book. It has his picture, a quote, and the names of his award-winning books.
• On May 23, 2008, a special plaque was put on the house where he was born in Mitchelstown. This was just before his 80th birthday.

William Trevor's Published Works

Novels and Novellas

• The Old Boys (1964)
• The Boarding House (1965)
• The Love Department (1966)
• Mrs Eckdorf in O'Neill's Hotel (1969)
• Miss Gomez and the Brethren (1971)
• Elizabeth Alone (1973)
• The Children of Dynmouth (1976)
• The Distant Past (1979)
• Other People's Worlds (1980)
• Fools of Fortune (1983)
• Nights at the Alexandra (1987)
• The Silence in the Garden (1988)
• Two Lives (1991) - This book contains two shorter novels: Reading Turgenev and My House in Umbria.
• Felicia's Journey (1994)
• Death in Summer (1998)
• The Story of Lucy Gault (2002)
• Love and Summer (2009)
• The Dressmaker's Child

Short Story Collections

• The Day We Got Drunk on Cake and Other Stories (1967)
• The Ballroom of Romance and Other Stories (1972)
• Angels at the Ritz and Other Stories (1975)
• Lovers of their Time (1978)
• Beyond the Pale (1981)
• The Stories of William Trevor (1983)
• The News from Ireland and Other Stories (1986)
• Family Sins and Other Stories (1989)
• Outside Ireland: Selected Stories (1992)
• The Collected Stories (1992, 1993, 2003, 2009)
• After Rain (1996)
• The Hill Bachelors (2000)
• A Bit On the Side (2004)
• Cheating at Canasta (2007)
• Bodily Secrets (2007) - A new selection of stories.
• Selected Stories (2010)
• Last Stories (2018)

Plays

• Play for Today: O Fat White Woman (1971) - Adapted from a short story.
• The Old Boys (1971)
• A Night with Mrs da Tanka (1972)
• Going Home (1972)
• Marriages (1973)
• The Ballroom of Romance (1982) - A film adaptation.

Children's Books

• Juliet's Story (1991, 1992)

Non-fiction

• A Writer's Ireland: Landscape in Literature (1984)

As Editor

• The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories (1989)

See also

In Spanish: William Trevor para niños