William Trevor
Encyclopedia
William Trevor, KBE
(born 24 May 1928) is an Irish author and playwright. He is considered one of the elder statesman of the Irish literary world and widely regarded as the greatest contemporary writer of short stories in the English language.
Trevor has resided in England since the 1950s. Over the course of his long career he has written several novels and hundreds of short stories, for which he is best known. He has won the Whitbread Prize three times and has been nominated five times for the Booker Prize, most recently for his novel Love and Summer (2009), which was also shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
in 2011. Tim Adams, a staff writer for The Observer
, described him as "widely believed to be the most astute observer of the human condition currently writing in fiction".
, County Cork, Ireland to a middle-class Protestant family, he moved several times to other provincial towns, including Skibbereen
, Tipperary
, Youghal
and Enniscorthy
as a result of his father's work as a bank official. He was educated at St. Columba's College
, Dublin, and at Trinity College
, Dublin, from which he received a degree in history. Trevor worked as a sculptor under the name Trevor Cox after his graduation from Trinity College, supplementing his income by teaching. He married Jane Ryan in 1952 and emigrated to England two years later, working as a copywriter for an advertising agency. His first novel, A Standard of Behaviour, was published in 1958, but had little critical success. In 1964, at the age of 36, Trevor won the Hawthornden Prize for Literature
for The Old Boys. The win encouraged Trevor to become a full-time writer. In 2002, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom for services to literature. He and his family moved to Devon
in England, where he has resided ever since. Despite having spent most of his life in England, he considers himself to be "Irish in every vein".
ian pattern. The characters in Trevor's work are typically marginalised members of society: children, the elderly, single middle-aged men and women, or the unhappily married. Those who cannot accept the reality of their lives create their own alternative worlds into which they retreat. A number of the stories use Gothic
elements to explore the nature of evil and its connection to madness. Trevor has acknowledged the influence of James Joyce
on his short-story writing, and "the odour of ashpits and old weeds and offal" can be detected in his work, but the overall impression is not of gloominess, since, particularly in his early work, the author's wry humour offers the reader a tragicomic version of the world. He has adapted much of his work for stage, television and radio. In 1990, Fools of Fortune
was made into a film directed by Pat O'Connor
, along with a 1999 film adaptation of Felicia's Journey
, which was directed by Atom Egoyan
.
Trevor's stories are set in both England and Ireland; they range from black comedies to tales based on Irish history and politics. Common themes in his works are the tensions between Protestant
landowners and Catholic
tenants. His early books are peopled by eccentrics who speak in a pedantically formal manner and engage in hilariously comic activities that are recounted by a detached narrative voice. Instead of one central figure, the novels feature several protagonists of equal importance, drawn together by an institutional setting, which acts as a convergence point for their individual stories. The later novels are thematically and technically more complex. The operation of grace in the world is explored, and several narrative voices are used to view the same events from different angles. Unreliable narrator
s and different perspectives reflect the fragmentation and uncertainty of modern life. Trevor has also explored the decaying institution of the "Big House" in his novels Fools of Fortune and The Story of Lucy Gault
.
. He was awarded an honorary CBE in 1977 for "services to literature", and was made a Companion of Literature
in 1994. In 2002 he received an honorary knighthood in recognition of his services to literature.
Trevor has been nominated for the Man Booker Prize
five times, making the shortlist in 1970, 1976, 1991 and 2002, and the longlist in 2009. He has won the Whitbread Prize three times and the Hawthornden Prize for Literature
once.
Trevor was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
in 2011.
on 25 August 2004.
On 23 May 2008, the eve of his 80th birthday, a commemorative plaque, indicating the house on Upper Cork Street, Mitchelstown where Trevor was born, was unveiled by Louis McRedmond.
In 2002, non-American authors became eligible to compete for the prestigious O. Henry Award
s. Trevor has won the award four times, for his stories "Sacred Statues" (2002), "The Dressmaker's Child" (2006), "The Room" (2007), a juror favourite of that year, and for "Folie à Deux" (2008).
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 24 May 1928) is an Irish author and playwright. He is considered one of the elder statesman of the Irish literary world and widely regarded as the greatest contemporary writer of short stories in the English language.
Trevor has resided in England since the 1950s. Over the course of his long career he has written several novels and hundreds of short stories, for which he is best known. He has won the Whitbread Prize three times and has been nominated five times for the Booker Prize, most recently for his novel Love and Summer (2009), which was also shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is an international literary award for a work of fiction, jointly sponsored by the city of Dublin, Ireland and the company IMPAC. At €100,000 it is one of the richest literary prizes in the world...
in 2011. Tim Adams, a staff writer for The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, described him as "widely believed to be the most astute observer of the human condition currently writing in fiction".
Biography
Born as William Trevor Cox in MitchelstownMitchelstown
Mitchelstown is a town in County Cork, Ireland with a population of approximately 3300. Mitchelstown is situated in the valley to the south of the Galtee Mountains close to the Mitchelstown Caves and is 28 km from Cahir, 50 km from Cork and 59 km from Limerick...
, County Cork, Ireland to a middle-class Protestant family, he moved several times to other provincial towns, including Skibbereen
Skibbereen
Skibbereen , is a town in County Cork, Ireland. It is the most southerly town in Ireland. It is located on the N71 national secondary road.The name "Skibbereen" means "little boat harbour." The River Ilen which runs through the town reaches the sea at Baltimore.-History:Prior to 1600 most of the...
, Tipperary
Tipperary
Tipperary is a town and a civil parish in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 4,415 at the 2006 census. It is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and is in the historical barony of Clanwilliam....
, Youghal
Youghal
Youghal is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Sitting on the estuary of the River Blackwater, in the past it was militarily and economically important. Being built on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a distinctive long and narrow layout...
and Enniscorthy
Enniscorthy
Enniscorthy is the second largest town in County Wexford, Ireland. The population of the town and environs is 9538. The Placenames Database of Ireland sheds no light on the origins of the town's name. It may refer either to the "Island of Corthaidh" or the "Island of Rocks". With a history going...
as a result of his father's work as a bank official. He was educated at St. Columba's College
St. Columba's College, Dublin
St Columba's College is a co-educational boarding school founded in 1843 located in Whitechurch, Dublin, Ireland. Among the founders of the college are Edwin Richard W. W. Quin, Lord Adare , the Right Hon. William Monsell , Dr...
, Dublin, and at Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, Dublin, from which he received a degree in history. Trevor worked as a sculptor under the name Trevor Cox after his graduation from Trinity College, supplementing his income by teaching. He married Jane Ryan in 1952 and emigrated to England two years later, working as a copywriter for an advertising agency. His first novel, A Standard of Behaviour, was published in 1958, but had little critical success. In 1964, at the age of 36, Trevor won the Hawthornden Prize for Literature
Hawthornden Prize
The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender. Authors are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature" which can be written in either poetry or prose...
for The Old Boys. The win encouraged Trevor to become a full-time writer. In 2002, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom for services to literature. He and his family moved to Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
in England, where he has resided ever since. Despite having spent most of his life in England, he considers himself to be "Irish in every vein".
Works and themes
He has written several collections of short stories that were well-received. His short stories often follow a ChekhovAnton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
ian pattern. The characters in Trevor's work are typically marginalised members of society: children, the elderly, single middle-aged men and women, or the unhappily married. Those who cannot accept the reality of their lives create their own alternative worlds into which they retreat. A number of the stories use Gothic
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
elements to explore the nature of evil and its connection to madness. Trevor has acknowledged the influence of James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
on his short-story writing, and "the odour of ashpits and old weeds and offal" can be detected in his work, but the overall impression is not of gloominess, since, particularly in his early work, the author's wry humour offers the reader a tragicomic version of the world. He has adapted much of his work for stage, television and radio. In 1990, Fools of Fortune
Fools of Fortune
Fools of Fortune is a 1990 British drama film directed by Pat O'Connor and starring Iain Glen, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Julie Christie, Amy Joyce Hastings and Michael Kitchen. It depicts a Protestant family caught up in the conflict between the British army and the IRA during the Irish War of...
was made into a film directed by Pat O'Connor
Pat O'Connor (director)
Pat O'Connor, born in Ardmore, County Waterford, is an Irish film director.In 1982, O'Connor won a Jacob's Award for his direction of the RTÉ TV adaptation of William Trevor's short story, Ballroom of Romance starring Cyril Cusack and Brenda Fricker. It was shot near the village of Ballycroy,...
, along with a 1999 film adaptation of Felicia's Journey
Felicia's Journey
Felicia's Journey is a 1999 film starring Elaine Cassidy and Bob Hoskins, based on a prize winning 1994 novel by William Trevor. It was directed by Atom Egoyan...
, which was directed by Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan, OC is a critically acclaimed Armenian-Canadian stage director and film director. Egoyan made his career breakthrough with Exotica...
.
Trevor's stories are set in both England and Ireland; they range from black comedies to tales based on Irish history and politics. Common themes in his works are the tensions between Protestant
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
landowners and Catholic
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
tenants. His early books are peopled by eccentrics who speak in a pedantically formal manner and engage in hilariously comic activities that are recounted by a detached narrative voice. Instead of one central figure, the novels feature several protagonists of equal importance, drawn together by an institutional setting, which acts as a convergence point for their individual stories. The later novels are thematically and technically more complex. The operation of grace in the world is explored, and several narrative voices are used to view the same events from different angles. Unreliable narrator
Unreliable narrator
An unreliable narrator is a narrator, whether in literature, film, or theatre, whose credibility has been seriously compromised. The term was coined in 1961 by Wayne C. Booth in The Rhetoric of Fiction. This narrative mode is one that can be developed by an author for a number of reasons, usually...
s and different perspectives reflect the fragmentation and uncertainty of modern life. Trevor has also explored the decaying institution of the "Big House" in his novels Fools of Fortune and The Story of Lucy Gault
The Story of Lucy Gault
The Story of Lucy Gault is a novel written by William Trevor in 2002. The book is divided into three sections: the childhood, middle age and older times of the girl, Lucy. The story takes place in Ireland during the transition to the 21st century. It follows the protagonist Lucy and her immediate...
.
Awards and distinctions
Trevor is a member of the Irish Academy of Letters and AosdánaAosdána
Aosdána is an Irish association of Artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers and with support from the Arts Council of Ireland. Membership, which is by invitation from current members, is limited to 250 individuals; before 2005 it was limited to 200...
. He was awarded an honorary CBE in 1977 for "services to literature", and was made a Companion of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
in 1994. In 2002 he received an honorary knighthood in recognition of his services to literature.
Trevor has been nominated for the Man Booker Prize
Man Booker Prize
The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe. The winner of the Man Booker Prize is generally assured of international renown and...
five times, making the shortlist in 1970, 1976, 1991 and 2002, and the longlist in 2009. He has won the Whitbread Prize three times and the Hawthornden Prize for Literature
Hawthornden Prize
The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender. Authors are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature" which can be written in either poetry or prose...
once.
Trevor was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is an international literary award for a work of fiction, jointly sponsored by the city of Dublin, Ireland and the company IMPAC. At €100,000 it is one of the richest literary prizes in the world...
in 2011.
Prizes
- 1964: Hawthornden Prize for LiteratureHawthornden PrizeThe Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender. Authors are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature" which can be written in either poetry or prose...
for The Old Boys - 1964: Hawthornden Prize for LiteratureHawthornden PrizeThe Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender. Authors are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature" which can be written in either poetry or prose...
for The Boarding House - 1970: Mrs. Eckdorf in O'Neill's Hotel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize
- 1975: Royal Society of LiteratureRoyal Society of LiteratureThe Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
for Angels at the Ritz and Other Stories - 1976: Whitbread Award for The Children of Dynmouth
- Allied Irish Banks Prize for fiction
- Heinemann Award for Fiction
- Shortlisted for the Booker Prize
- 1980: Giles Cooper Award for Beyond the Pale
- 1982: Giles Cooper Award for Autumn Sunshine
- 1982: Jacob's Award for TV adaptation of The Ballroom of Romance
- 1983: Whitbread Prize for Fools of Fortune
- 1991: Reading Turgenev was shortlisted for the Booker Prize
- 1994: Whitbread Prize Best Novel for Felicia's Journey
- 1999: David Cohen PrizeDavid Cohen PrizeThe David Cohen Prize for Literature is a biennial British literary award given to a writer, novelist, short-story writer, poet, essayist or dramatist in recognition of an entire body of work, written in the English language. The prize is funded by the John S. Cohen Foundation and administered by...
by the Arts Council of England in recognition of his work. - 2001: Irish Literature Prize
- 2002: The Story of Lucy GaultThe Story of Lucy GaultThe Story of Lucy Gault is a novel written by William Trevor in 2002. The book is divided into three sections: the childhood, middle age and older times of the girl, Lucy. The story takes place in Ireland during the transition to the 21st century. It follows the protagonist Lucy and her immediate...
was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Whitbread Award - 2003: Kerry Group Irish Fiction AwardKerry Group Irish Fiction AwardThe Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award is an annual award for Irish authors of fiction, established in 1995. It was previously known as the Kerry Ingredients Book of the Year Award and the Kerry Ingredients Irish Fiction Award ....
at the Listowel Writers' Week - 2008: Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award in Irish LiteratureIrish Book AwardsThe Irish Book Awards is an annual Irish literary award given to books and authors in various categories. It is the only literary award supported by all-Irish bookstores. First awarded in 2006, they grew out of the Hughes & Hughes bookstore's Irish Novel of the Year Prize which was inaugurated in...
Legacies
A monument to Trevor – a bronze sculpture by Liam Lavery and Eithne Ring in the form of a lectern, with an open book incorporating an image of the writer and a quotation, as well as the titles of his three Whitbread Prize-winning works, and two others of significance – was unveiled in Trevor's native MitchelstownMitchelstown
Mitchelstown is a town in County Cork, Ireland with a population of approximately 3300. Mitchelstown is situated in the valley to the south of the Galtee Mountains close to the Mitchelstown Caves and is 28 km from Cahir, 50 km from Cork and 59 km from Limerick...
on 25 August 2004.
On 23 May 2008, the eve of his 80th birthday, a commemorative plaque, indicating the house on Upper Cork Street, Mitchelstown where Trevor was born, was unveiled by Louis McRedmond.
In 2002, non-American authors became eligible to compete for the prestigious O. Henry Award
O. Henry Award
The O. Henry Award is the only yearly award given to short stories of exceptional merit. The award is named after the American master of the form, O. Henry....
s. Trevor has won the award four times, for his stories "Sacred Statues" (2002), "The Dressmaker's Child" (2006), "The Room" (2007), a juror favourite of that year, and for "Folie à Deux" (2008).
Novels and novellas
- A Standard of Behaviour (HutchinsonHutchinson (publisher)Hutchinson & Co. was an English book publisher, founded in 1887. The company merged with Century Publishing in 1985 to form Century Hutchinson, and was folded into the British Random House Group in 1989, where it remains as an imprint in the Cornerstone Publishing division...
, 1958) - The Old Boys (Bodley Head, 1964)
- The Boarding House (Bodley Head, 1965)
- The Love Department (Bodley Head, 1966)
- Mrs Eckdorf in O'Neill's Hotel (Bodley Head, 1969)
- Miss Gomez and the Brethren (Bodley Head, 1971)
- Elizabeth Alone (Bodley Head, 1973)
- The Children of Dynmouth (Bodley Head, 1976)
- The Distant Past (Poolbeg Press, 1979)
- Other People's Worlds (Bodley Head, 1980)
- Fools of FortuneFools of FortuneFools of Fortune is a 1990 British drama film directed by Pat O'Connor and starring Iain Glen, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Julie Christie, Amy Joyce Hastings and Michael Kitchen. It depicts a Protestant family caught up in the conflict between the British army and the IRA during the Irish War of...
(Bodley Head, 1983) - Nights at the Alexandra (Hutchinson, 1987)
- The Silence in the Garden (Bodley Head, 1988)
- Two LivesTwo Lives (novel)Two Lives consists of a pair of novellas by Irish author William Trevor and published as a single book. The volume is composed of Reading Turgenev and My House in Umbria.-Plot:...
(Viking PressViking PressViking Press is an American publishing company owned by the Penguin Group, which has owned the company since 1975. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim...
, 1991) - Felicia's JourneyFelicia's JourneyFelicia's Journey is a 1999 film starring Elaine Cassidy and Bob Hoskins, based on a prize winning 1994 novel by William Trevor. It was directed by Atom Egoyan...
(Viking, 1994) - Death in Summer (Viking, 1998)
- The Story of Lucy GaultThe Story of Lucy GaultThe Story of Lucy Gault is a novel written by William Trevor in 2002. The book is divided into three sections: the childhood, middle age and older times of the girl, Lucy. The story takes place in Ireland during the transition to the 21st century. It follows the protagonist Lucy and her immediate...
(Viking, 2002) - Love and Summer (Viking, 2009)
Short story collections
- The Day We Got Drunk on Cake and Other Stories (Bodley Head, 1967)
- The Ballroom of Romance and Other Stories (Bodley Head, 1972)
- Angels at the Ritz and Other Stories (Bodley Head, 1975)
- Lovers of their Time (Bodley Head, 1978)
- Beyond the Pale (Bodley Head, 1981)
- The Stories of William Trevor (PenguinPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, 1983) - The News from Ireland and Other Stories (Bodley Head, 1986)
- Family Sins and Other Stories (Bodley Head, 1989)
- Outside Ireland: Selected Stories (Viking, 1992)
- The Collected Stories (PenguinPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, 1993, 2003) - After Rain (Viking, 1996)
- Cocktails an Doney's (Bloomsbury ClassicsBloomsbury ClassicsBloomsbury Classics are a series of small-format hardback novels published by Bloomsbury Publishing in the UK, not to be confused with a similarly named series of paperbacks published in the US.Included in this series...
, 1996) - The Hill Bachelors (Viking, 2000)
- A Bit On the Side (Viking, 2004)
- Cheating At Canasta (Viking, 2007)
- Bodily Secrets (Penguin Great LovesPenguin Great LovesPenguin Great Loves is a series of books published by Penguin Books in the UK.Included in this series:*A Mere Interlude by Thomas Hardy*A Russian Affair by Anton Chekhov*Bodily Secrets by William Trevor...
, 2007; new selection of several stories from earlier collections) - Collected Stories, Volumes I & II, (PenguinPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, 2009) ISBN 9780670918331 & 9780670918416
Drama
- The Old Boys (Davis-Poynter, 1971)
- A Night with Mrs da Tanka (Samuel French, 1972)
- Going Home (Samuel French, 1972)
- Marriages (Samuel French, 1973)
- Scenes from an Album (Co-Op Books (Dublin), 1981)
Non-fiction
- A Writer's Ireland: Landscape in Literature (Thames & HudsonThames & HudsonThames & Hudson is a publisher of illustrated books on art, architecture, design, and visual culture. With its headquarters in London, England it has a sister company in New York and subsidiaries in Melbourne, Singapore and Hong Kong...
, 1984) - Excursions in the Real World: Memoirs (Hutchinson, 1993)
Sources
- Mary Fitzgerald-Hoyt: William Trevor – Re-imagining Ireland, Liffey Press, Dublin 2003; ISBN 978-1904148067
- Dolores MacKenna: William Trevor – The Writer and His Work, New Island Books, Dublin 1999; ISBN 978-1874597742
- Tom McAlindon: Tragedy, history, and myth: William Trevor's Fools of Fortune. (Critical Essay); in: Irish University Review: a journal of Irish Studies, 2003
- Kristin Morrison: William Trevor, Twayne; New York 1993; ISBN 978-0805770322
- Hugh Ormsby-Lennon: Fools of Fiction – Reading William Trevor's Stories, Maunsel& Co., Dublin 2004; ISBN 978-1930901216
- Gregory A. Schirmer: William Trevor – A Study of His Fiction, Routledge, London 1990; ISBN 978-0415044936