Birthday: May 28, 1939
Who is Maeve Binchy?
Maeve Binchy is a well-known Irish writer and author. She has made many published novels, story collections, and plays in her entire life. Binchy was a mainstay at Irish Times where she worked as a journalist. Her best-selling books include Light a Penny Candle (1982), Circle of Friends (1990), and Tara Road (1999), among others.
5 Facts about Maeve Binchy
- Maeve Binchy has aerophobia (fear of flying in airplanes) that she resolved later in life.
- Maeve Binchy has always loved her hometown, and she is hesitant to leave it.
- She got married to George Snell, also a worldwide famous writer.
- Although most of her novels were thought of as romance, they are not in the least under this category.
- She lived near her parents and siblings until before her death.
Inspirational Quotes from Maeve Binchy
"Nobody is ordinary if you know where to look."
"We have to make our own happiness, and we have to make our own decisions and play the hand that is dealt with us."
Maeve Binchy Biography
Early Life
Maeve Binchy was born on May 28, 1940 in Dalkey, Ireland. The eldest daughter of a Catholic family, she grew up in an academic atmosphere. She studied at Holy Child Convent, being into good friendships, and later on studied at University College of Dublin where she chose a history degree. She entered journalism that took her to Irish Times where she was a regular columnist. My First Book (1976) became the first published work she had.
Publications
Binchy grew up as a great storyteller portraying the countryside culture in Ireland. Her written works soon expanded into short stories, novellas, and plays – stories that are all filled with humor, warmth, and understanding towards other people.
She is also critically acclaimed for her written novel books as these are all themed with life within the family and close friends. One of the best examples of her novels is Light a Penny Candle. It was a story of friendship and bond between two girls living in post-war London.
Her books included the depiction of social and rural life, and it was a worldwide success which was why it was translated to almost 37 languages.
Some of her other popular, published works are Echoes (1985), The Glass Lake (1995), Scarlet Feather (2000), Silver Wedding (1988), and Evening Class (1986).
Later Life
In the midst of continuous progress with her books, Binchy became friends with George Snell, a fellow writer. Snell is a famous children's book writer in the making. As friendship blossomed into romance, they got married in 1977. They moved to Dalkey, Ireland after spending their jobs in London.
In Binchy's words, she described her husband to be a loving person who loves her so well. Their writing interest made them closer even more. They would openly share their thoughts with each other and let each other know if their ideas would go well.
Binchy lived near her parents and was glad that all her siblings lived close by to her home. She says she is happy that she could rekindle good, old memories with them from time to time. All things that she had during childhood are filled with joy, adventures, and more bonding with friends. To her, there is no painful memory to remember in her early years.
Legacy
Maeve Binchy became so successful that she was multi-awarded for all her published works. It was said that she even got better than Oscar Wilde, W. B Yeats, and Samuel Beckett. She also garnered great recognition from her American audience as well. Her remarkable works named her a New York Times best-selling author and an awardee of the WH Smith Literary Award.
Maeve also won Jacob's Award for her play, Regretted By. A photograph on this documentation is now displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in London. In 1999, she earned the British Book Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Year Award People Award in the succeeding year. In 2007, the Irish PEN Award was given to her alongside Seamus Heaney, John McGahern, William Trevor, Edna O'Brien, Brian Friel, and John B. Keane.
It is worth mentioning too that she received massive recognition in her hometown with the following merits: Lifetime Achievement Award at the Irish Book Awards. She was also a recipient of an Irish Book Award for her book, A Week in Winter.
The story was about the relatable lives of different characters crossing each other's paths. The story is also set in Ireland's small town, just like most of Maeve's best-selling stories. A Week in Winter was published in 2012, the year of Maeve's reported sudden death. Indeed, it was the last book known to be written by the famously admired writer.
