Author Biography | Interview | Books by this Author | Readalikes
Boyne was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1971, and studied English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin, and creative writing at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, where he was awarded the Curtis Brown prize. He now offers a scholarship to Irish students undertaking the MA program at UEA.
He has published 9 novels for adults and five for younger readers, including The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas which was a New York Times No.1 Bestseller and was made into a Miramax feature film. It has sold more than 6 million copies worldwide. He is also the author of the short story collection Beneath The Earth.
He is a regular book reviewer for The Irish Times and has been a judge for both the Hennessy Literary Awards and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, as well as chairing the jury for the 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
In 2012, he was awarded the Hennessy Literary 'Hall of Fame' Award for his body of work. He has also won 3 Irish Book Awards, for Children's Book of the Year, People's Choice Book of the Year and Short Story of the Year. He has won a number of international literary awards, including the Que Leer Award for Novel of the Year in Spain and the Gustav Heinemann Peace Prize in Germany. In 2015, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of East Anglia.
His novels are published in 51 languages.
John Boyne's website
This bio was last updated on 07/13/2017. We try to keep BookBrowse's biographies both up to date and accurate, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's a tough task. So, please help us - if the information about this author is out of date or inaccurate, and you know of a more complete source, please let us know. Authors and publishers: If you wish to make changes to a bio, send the complete biography as you would like it displayed so that we can replace the old with the new.
You dedicate The Heart's Invisible Furies to the author John Irving and indeed, this novel feels very "Irving-like." Is he one of your literary influences?
I read The Cider House Rules when I was 17 years old and quickly devoured all of John Irving's novels. Since then, he has been my favourite novelist. I admire his storytelling abilities but also his empathy for what he has always described as "sexual misfits." John was writing about transgender people, for example, in The World According to Garp, long before that was a subject that was talked about. When I published my first novel, The Thief of Time, in 2000, I sent John a copy of the book and a fan letter, telling him how much he had inspired me and he very kindly read the novel and wrote back. Since then we have become good friends and seen each other on many occasions. He has been a real mentor to me over the years and has given me some great advice. When I am with him, I still have to pinch myself and think I'm friends with John Irving! I wanted to dedicate a novel to him to thank him for his support and, because the subject matter of this novel ties in with the subject matter of some of his books, this felt like the right one....
Atia Abawi was born to Afghan parents in West Germany and was raised in the United States. She graduated from Virginia Tech and was awarded their Outstanding Alumna honor. After college, Abawi worked for CNN as a foreign news... (more)
If you enjoyed:
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Try:
A Land of Permanent Goodbyes
by Atia Abawi
Denis Avey was born in Essex (UK) in 1919. He joined the army in 1939, and fought in the desert during the Second World War.
Avery was captured and held as a prisoner of war for two years near Auschwitz III, a ...
(more)
If you enjoyed:
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Try:
The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz
by Denis Avey
We recommend 31 similar authors
The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt
by Andrea Bobotis
A thoughtful and quintessentially Southern debut that unfolds like a magnolia.
Reader Reviews
Beirut Hellfire Society
by Rawi Hage
A searing and visionary novel set in 1970s Beirut that asks what it means to live through war.
Reader Reviews
"An American epic in the truest sense…"
—Entertainment Weekly
New from Clare Clark!
"Evocative prose and excellent pacing make this fine historical a must-read for art history buffs."
- Publishers Weekly
Visitors can view some of BookBrowse for free. Full access is for members only.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info, and giveaways by email.
