Anne Devlin (writer)
Encyclopedia
Anne Devlin is a short story writer, playwright and screenwriter born in Belfast
, Northern Ireland
. She was a teacher from 1974 - 1978 and started writing fiction in 1976 in Germany
. Having lived in London
for a decade, she returned to Belfast in 2007.
She is the daughter of Paddy Devlin
, a Northern Ireland Labour Party
(NILP) Member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland
and later a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
(SDLP). She was raised in Belfast. In January 1969, while a student at the New University of Ulster
, Devlin joined a civil rights march from Belfast to Derry
, organised by the People's Democracy
. At Burntollet Bridge, a few miles from Derry, the march was attacked by loyalists
. Devlin was struck on the head, knocked unconscious, fell into the river and was brought to hospital suffering from concussion. The march was echoed in her 1994 play After Easter. Devlin subsequently left Northern Ireland for England. She was visiting lecturer in playwriting at the University of Birmingham
in 1987, and a writer in residence at Lund University
, Sweden
, in 1990.
In 1982 she won the Hennessy Literary Award for her short story, Passages, which was adapted for television as A Woman Calling. She has written for the stage - Ourselves Alone (first performed in 1985) and After Easter (first performed in 1994) and for which she won the Lloyds Playwright of the Year. Devlin has also written the screenplays for Titanic Town
, which is adapted from a novel by Mary Costello, and Emily Brontë
's Wuthering Heights. Her short fiction was collected as The Way-Paver (1986). In 1984 she received the Samuel Beckett Award, she won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
in 1986. She also wrote the screenplay for The Rainbow
, produced by the BBC
in 1988.
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. She was a teacher from 1974 - 1978 and started writing fiction in 1976 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Having lived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for a decade, she returned to Belfast in 2007.
She is the daughter of Paddy Devlin
Paddy Devlin
Paddy Devlin was a Northern Irish social democrat and Labour activist, a former Stormont MP, a founder of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and a member of the 1974 Power Sharing Executive.-Early life:...
, a Northern Ireland Labour Party
Northern Ireland Labour Party
The Northern Ireland Labour Party was an Irish political party which operated from 1924 until 1987.In 1913 the British Labour Party resolved to give the recently formed Irish Labour Party exclusive organising rights in Ireland...
(NILP) Member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland
Parliament of Northern Ireland
The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended...
and later a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...
(SDLP). She was raised in Belfast. In January 1969, while a student at the New University of Ulster
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
, Devlin joined a civil rights march from Belfast to Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, organised by the People's Democracy
People's Democracy
People's Democracy was a political organisation that, while supporting the campaign for civil rights for Northern Ireland's Catholic minority, stated that such rights could only be achieved through the establishment of a socialist republic for all of Ireland...
. At Burntollet Bridge, a few miles from Derry, the march was attacked by loyalists
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
. Devlin was struck on the head, knocked unconscious, fell into the river and was brought to hospital suffering from concussion. The march was echoed in her 1994 play After Easter. Devlin subsequently left Northern Ireland for England. She was visiting lecturer in playwriting at the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
in 1987, and a writer in residence at Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, in 1990.
In 1982 she won the Hennessy Literary Award for her short story, Passages, which was adapted for television as A Woman Calling. She has written for the stage - Ourselves Alone (first performed in 1985) and After Easter (first performed in 1994) and for which she won the Lloyds Playwright of the Year. Devlin has also written the screenplays for Titanic Town
Titanic Town (film)
Titanic Town is a 1998 film. Ciarán Hinds and Julie Walters play Aidan and Bernie McPhelimy, a mother and father caught in the Northern Ireland Troubles in Belfast . Bernie's close friend is killed in the crossfire and so she becomes involved in the peace process.-Their children:*Nuala O'Neill ......
, which is adapted from a novel by Mary Costello, and Emily Brontë
Emily Brontë
Emily Jane Brontë 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother...
's Wuthering Heights. Her short fiction was collected as The Way-Paver (1986). In 1984 she received the Samuel Beckett Award, she won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize established in 1978, is for English-language women playwrights. Named for Susan Smith, alumna of Smith College, who died of breast cancer.-Winners:* 1978-79 Mary O'Malley* 1979-80 Barbara Schneider...
in 1986. She also wrote the screenplay for The Rainbow
The Rainbow
The Rainbow is a 1915 novel by British author D. H. Lawrence. It follows three generations of the Brangwen family living in Nottinghamshire, particularly focusing on the sexual dynamics of, and relations between, the characters....
, produced by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 1988.