John Banville Biography

John Banville was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. He was educated at a Christian Brother's school and St Peter's College in Wexford. After leaving college he worked for Aer Lingus in Dublin, Ireland - which gave him the opportunity to travel widely. His first book - Long Lankin, a collection of short stories, was published in 1970. It was followed by two novels, Nightspawn (1971) and Birchwood (1973). Dr Copernicus (historical fiction) won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction, and was followed by a series of novels exploring the lives of eminent scientists. The Sea (2005) won the Man Booker Prize.

Between 1988 and 1999 Banville was the literary editor of the Irish Times. He has also written a number of crime novels under the pseudonym Benjamin Black. He lives in Dublin.

Bibliography of Standalone Novels Written as John Banville
(dates and titles reflect UK publications)
Long Lankin, 1970
Nightspawn, 1971
Birchwood,1973
Dr Copernicus, 1976
Kepler, 1981
The Newton Letter: An Interlude, 1982
Mefisto, 1986
The Book of Evidence, 1989
Ghosts, 1993
Athena, 1995
The Ark, 1996
The Untouchable, 1997
Eclipse, 2000
Shroud, 2002
Prague Pictures: Portrait of a City, 2003
The Sea, 2005
The Infinities, 2009 Ancient Light, 2012 The Blue Guitar, 2015

About This Biography
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