Biography
Overview
Early life and family
Anne Maeve Binchy was born on 28 May 1939 inIsrael/Faith
Her parents were Catholics and Binchy attended aIn 1963, I worked in a Jewish school in Dublin, teaching French with an Irish accent to kids, primarily Lithuanians. The parents there gave me a trip to Israel as a present. I had no money, so I went and worked in aOne Sunday, attempting to locate where thekibbutz A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...– plucking chickens, picking oranges. My parents were very nervous; here I was going out to the Middle East by myself. I wrote to them regularly, telling them about the kibbutz. My father and mother sent my letters to a newspaper, which published them. So I thought, It's not so hard to be a writer. Just write a letter home. After that, I started writing other travel articles.
Marriage
Binchy, described as "six feet tall, rather stout, and garrulous", although she actually grew to 6'1", said in an interview withLetter to the president
Files in Ireland's National Archives, released to the public in 2006, feature a request from Maeve Binchy to PresidentHealth
In 2002, Binchy suffered health problems related to a heart condition, which inspired her to write ''Heart and Soul''. The book, about what Binchy terms "a heart failure clinic" inDeath
Binchy died on 30 July 2012. She was 73 and had suffered from various maladies, including painfulWork
Journalism
''The New York Times'' reports: Binchy's "writing career began by accident in the early 1960s, after she spent time on a kibbutz in Israel. Her father was so taken with her letters home that "he cut off the ‘Dear Daddy’ bits,” Ms. Binchy later recounted, and sent them to an Irish newspaper, which published them." Donal Lynch observed of her first paying journalism role: the ''Irish Independent'' "was impressed enough to commission her, paying her £16, which was then a week-and-a-half's salary for her." In 1968, Binchy joined the staff at ''The Irish Times'', and worked there as a writer, columnist, the firstLiterature
In all, Binchy published 16 novels, four short-story collections, a play and a novella. A 17th novel, '' A Week in Winter'', was published posthumously. Her literary career began with two books of short stories: ''Central Line'' (1978) and ''Victoria Line'' (1980). She published her debut novel '' Light a Penny Candle'' in 1982. In 1983, it sold for the largest sum ever paid for a first novel: £52,000. The timing was fortuitous, as Binchy and her husband were two months behind with the mortgage at the time. However, the prolific Binchy – who joked that she could write as fast as she could talk – ultimately became one of Ireland's richest women. Her first book was rejected five times. She would later describe these rejections as "a slap in the face ..It's like if you don't go to a dance you can never be rejected but you'll never get to dance either". Most of Binchy's stories are set in Ireland, dealing with the tensions between urban and rural life, the contrasts between England and Ireland, and the dramatic changes in Ireland between World War II and the present day. Her books have been translated into 37 languages. While some of Binchy's novels are complete stories ('' Circle of Friends'', ''Light a Penny Candle''), many others revolve around a cast of interrelated characters ('' The Copper Beech'', '' Silver Wedding'', '' The Lilac Bus'', ''Public appearances
Binchy appeared on ''The Late Late Show'' on Saturday 20 March (based on chronology this would have been 1982) in connection with the publication of the ''Dublin 4'' short story collection. "Then the conversation broadened andAwards and honours
In 1978, Binchy won aPosthumous
There were posthumous proposals to name a new Liffey crossing "Binchy Bridge" in memory of the writer. Ultimately the bridge was named for trade unionistList of works
Publications
Binchy published novels, non-fiction, a play and several short story collections. Two collections of short stories, '' Chestnut Street'' (2014) and ''A Few of the Girls'' (2015), were released after her death. ;Novels * '' Light a Penny Candle'' (1982) * '' Echoes'' (1985) * ''Films, radio, and television
Binchy wrote several dramas specifically for radio and the silver screen. Additionally, several of her novels and short stories were adapted for radio, film, and television.Films
* ''Circle of Friends'' (1995 film) – Hollywood film starringRadio
Since 1968, Binchy was a "frequent and hugely popular contributor to RTÉ Radio". A press released dated 31 July 2012 and posted in that organisation's online Press Centre reads: ::"RTÉ Radio 1 provided the platform for Maeve's many forays into the world of drama. In 2005 RTÉ 2fm DJ Gerry Ryan was among the cast of Surprise, a four-part radio drama written by Maeve. Other radio drama work included the award-winning Infancy and Tia Maria, starring Oscar winnerTelevision
* '' Deeply Regretted By...'' (1978) – Binchy won aSee also
* List of ''Fair City'' charactersReferences
In season 3 episode 7 of Ballykissangel, one road worker tosses a book to another, saying, "The latest Maeve Binchy!"Further reading
* * Interview with Jana Siciliano. *External links
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