Ernest Gébler (31 December 1914Gebler 2013 p.21 – 26 January 1998), sometimes credited as Ernie Gebler, was an Irish writer of Czech origin. He was a member of

Aosdána Aosdána ( , ; from , 'people of the arts') is an Irish association of artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers with support from the country's Arts Council. Membership, which is by invitation from current member ...

Early life

Gébler was born in Dublin, one of the five children of Adolf (or Adolphe) Gébler, a shopkeeper and musician of

Czech Jewish The history of the Jews in the Czech lands, which include the modern Czech Republic as well as Bohemia, Czech Silesia and Moravia, goes back many centuries. There is evidence that Jews have lived in Moravia and Bohemia since as early as the 1 ...

origin who had married a Dublin theatre usherette. The family moved to

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...

in 1925. In 1930 Adolf got a job with a Dublin

light opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

company and Ernest followed the rest of the family there in 1931. Ernest worked backstage in the

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a Theater (structure), theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Ge ...

in the 1930s.

Later career

After his writing career took off with his first novel in 1946, Gébler enjoyed greater success with his novel ''The Plymouth Adventure'' (1950), which was made into a Hollywood film. He was first married to Leatrice Gilbert (1924–2015), daughter of the actors John Gilbert and

Leatrice Joy Leatrice Joy (born Leatrice Johanna Zeidler; November 7, 1893 – May 13, 1985) was an American actress most prolific during the silent film era. Early life Joy was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to dentist Edward Joseph Zeidler, who was o ...

, whom he met in Hollywood; he was Leatrice's fourth husband. The couple moved to Ireland, got married and had a son John Karl (called Karl by Ernest but John by his mother). They were divorced in 1952, and mother and baby returned to America. In Dublin in 1952 Gébler met future novelist

Edna O'Brien Josephine Edna O'Brien (born 15 December 1930) is an Irish novelist, memoirist, playwright, poet and short-story writer. Elected to Aosdána by her fellow artists, she was honoured with the title Saoi in 2015 and the "UK and Ireland Nobel" D ...

, then working in a pharmacist's shop.Kersnowski p.xvii After opposition from O'Brien's family, they moved to England, married in 1954, and made their home at Lake Park House, overlooking

Lough Dan Lough Dan ( ga, Loch Deán) is a scenic boomerang-shaped ribbon lake largely set on private property, in the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland. Lough Dan lake lies at the base of Luggala and Knocknacloghoge mountains. The lough is fed by the Clogho ...

, in Co Wicklow. They had two sons, Karl (later Carlo) and Sasha, who became respectively a writer and an architect. The house was sold in 1955 to the poet Richard Murphy. It was Gébler who introduced O'Brien to her first publisher, Iain Hamilton of Hutchinson. and her literary career eclipsed Gébler's after her début novel ''

The Country Girls ''The Country Girls'' is a trilogy by Irish author Edna O'Brien. It consists of three novels: ''The Country Girls'' (1960), ''The Lonely Girl (''1962), and '' Girls in Their Married Bliss'' (1964). The trilogy was re-released in 1986 in a single ...

'' in 1960. The couple separated in 1964 and divorced in 1968, with O'Brien eventually gaining sole custody of the children. Both O'Brien and

Carlo Gébler Carlo Gébler (born 21 August 1954) is an Irish writer, television director, and teacher. His publications include novels, short stories, plays, historical works and memoirs. He is a member of Aosdána. Early life Gébler was born in Dublin, t ...

later wrote about Ernest's cruelty to the family. Gébler returned to Dublin in 1970, but also owned farmland near Lough Owel, and became friendly with his neighbour

J. P. Donleavy James Patrick Donleavy (23 April 1926 – 11 September 2017) was an American-Irish novelist, short story writer and playwright. His best-known work is the novel ''The Ginger Man'', which was initially banned for obscenity. Early life Donleavy ...

. After a fall at home, Gébler was taken into care and his house in the Dublin suburb of

Dalkey Dalkey ( ; ) is an affluent suburb of Dublin, and a seaside resort southeast of the city, and the town of Dún Laoghaire, in the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown in the historic County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded as a Viking settlement ...

was sold. He spent the last seven years of his life at Grove Nursing Home in Killiney, Dublin, where he died in 1998 of a bronchial infection, after several years with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

. He was 83.

Works

References

Footnotes

Sources

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Citations

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gebler, Ernest 1914 births 1998 deaths 21st-century Irish people Aosdána members Irish television writers 20th-century Irish novelists 20th-century Irish male writers Irish screenwriters Irish dramatists and playwrights Writers from Dublin (city) People of Czech-Jewish descent Irish people of Czech descent Deaths from bronchitis Irish people of Jewish descent Male television writers 20th-century screenwriters