Jennifer Johnston (novelist)
Jennifer Johnston | |
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| Born | Jennifer Prudence Johnston 12 January 1930[1] Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 25 February 2025 (aged 95) Dún Laoghaire, Ireland |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Alma mater | Trinity College Dublin |
| Spouse | Ian Smyth (m. 1951-?); 4 children David Gilliland (his death) |
| Relatives |
|
Jennifer Prudence JohnstonWhitbread Book Award for The Old Jest in 1979 and a Lifetime Achievement from the Irish Book Awards (2012). The Old Jest, a novel about the Irish War of Independence, was later made into a film called The Dawning, starring Anthony Hopkins, produced by Sarah Lawson and directed by Robert Knights.[3]
Life and career
Johnston was born in
Awards and honours
- 1973 Authors' Club First Novel Award for The Captains and the Kings[8]
- 1977 Booker Prize shortlist for Shadows on our Skin[1]
- 1979 Whitbread Book Award for The Old Jest[1]
- 1989 Giles Cooper Awards for O Ananias, Azarias and Misael[1]
- 2001 Honorary Fellow of Trinity College Dublin[9]
- 2006 Irish PEN Award[10]
- 2012 Irish Book Awards Lifetime Achievement Award[11]
Personal life
Johnston was married twice. In 1951 she married a fellow student at Trinity College, Ian Smyth.[12] Their four children are Patrick Smyth,[13] Sarah, Lucy, and Malachy. After marrying her second husband, David Gilliland, she lived in Derry.[14] After being widowed, she moved back to Dublin.[15] Her cousins included the actresses Susan Fitzgerald[16] and Tara Fitzgerald.[17]
Johnston suffered from dementia in later years. She died at a nursing home in
Michael D Higgins who recalled that "throughout her many novels and plays, provided a deep and meaningful examination of the nature and limitations of identity, family and personal connections throughout the tumultuous events of 20th century Irish life".[1]
List of works
- Novels
- The Captains and the Kings (1972),Author's Club First Novel Award
- The Gates (1973)[4]
- How Many Miles to Babylon? (1974)[4]
- Shadows on Our Skin (1977), shortlisted for the Booker Prize[1]
- Whitbread Book Award for 1979[1]
- The Christmas Tree (1981)[1]
- The Railway Station Man (1984)[1]
- ISBN 978-0-241-12035-4.
- The Invisible Worm (1991)[5]
- The Illusionist (1995)[4]
- Three Monologues: "Twinkletoes", "Mustn't Forget High Noon", "Christine" (1995)
- Finbar's Hotel, edited by Dermot Bolger (1997) (Contributor)
- ISBN 978-0-7472-2136-4.[4]
- The Essential Jennifer Johnston (1999) (contains The Captains and the Kings, The Railway Station Man, and Fool's Sanctuary)
- Great Irish Stories of Murder and Mystery (2000) (Contributor)
- ISBN 978-0-7472-2137-1.[4]
- This is not a Novel (2002)[19]
- Grace and Truth (2005)[20]
- ISBN 978-0-7553-3052-2.[21]
- ISBN 978-0-7553-3054-6.[22]
- Shadow Story (2012)[23]
- A Sixpenny Song (2013)[24]
- Naming the Stars (2015)[25][26]
- Plays
- The Nightingale and Not the Lark (1981)[20]
- Andante un Poco Mosso, first performed 1981,[27] published in The Best Short Plays 1983 (1983)
- Indian Summer (1984)[2]
- The Porch (1986)[2]
- The Invisible Man (1987)[28]
- O Ananias, Azarias and Misael (1989)[1]
- Triptych (1989)[29]
- Twinkletoes (1993)[30]
- Moonlight and Music (2000)[33][32]
- Waiting (2006)[34]
- The Christmas Tree: A Play in Two Acts (2015)
See also
- List of winners and shortlisted authors of the Booker Prize for Fiction
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j O'Rourke, Evelyn (26 February 2025). "President leads tributes to novelist Jennifer Johnston". RTÉ.ie.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-393-31360-4.
- ^ "Jennifer Johnston − Literature". Literature.britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g "A shaper of sophisticated stories". Irishtimes.com. 9 January 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ a b Rosie Cowan (11 February 2004). "Rosie Cowan on Jennifer Johnston". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ISBN 1-871408-07-5.
- ^ "Members | Aosdana". Aosdana.artscouncil.ie. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ Mullan, Kevin (26 February 2025). "Tributes paid to Jennifer Johnston – 'one of the finest Irish novelists'". Derry Journal.
- ^ Doyle, Kilian (14 May 2001). "Trinity College names three Honorary Fellows". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann". Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ Rosita Boland (23 November 2012). "Banville wins novel of year at awards". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
- ISBN 9780313295577. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ Smyth, Patrick. "Storyteller's shadow: Patrick Smyth on his mother Jennifer Johnston". The Irish Times, 1 March 2025.
- ^ O'Rourke, Evelyn. "President leads tributes to novelist Jennifer Johnston". RTÉ.ie.
- ^ "Martina Devlin interviews Jennifer Johnston". Libranwriter.wordpress.com. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ Michael Coveney, "Susan FitzGerald obituary", The Guardian, 10 September 2013.
- ^ Maureen Paton, "Tara Fitzgerald: Naked ambition" (profile), The Independent, 2 May 2003.
- ^ White, Jack (26 February 2025). "Writer Jennifer Johnston dies aged 95". The Irish Times. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ Parker, Peter (3 November 2002). "Review: Fiction: This Is Not a Novel by Jennifer Johnston". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ Leavy, Adrienne (14 June 2017). "In praise of Jennifer Johnston". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ "Naming the Stars by Jennifer Johnston". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ Leland, Review: Mary (12 November 2016). "Book review: Naming the Stars". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ "Andante Un Poco Mosso". PlayographyIreland. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ "The Invisible Man". PlayographyIreland. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ "Triptych". PlayographyIreland. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ "Twinkletoes". PlayographyIreland. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ "The Desert Lullaby". PlayographyIreland. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ ISSN 0967-0882.
- ^ "Moonlight and Music". PlayographyIreland. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ "Waiting". PlayographyIreland. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
External links
- Jennifer Johnston at IMDb
- Jennifer Johnston at British Council: Literature
- "Jennifer Johnston's Works", provides a decidedly pejorative view of Johnston's works
- Works by Jennifer Johnston at Open Library
- Jennifer Johnston on Amazon.com
- Jennifer Johnston (1930–2025)
- Writer who combined brevity with razor-sharp wisdom
- 01.03.2025 Storyteller’s shadow: Patrick Smyth on his mother Jennifer Johnston
- Frank McNally: Tributes paid to ‘Ireland’s greatest writer' Jennifer Johnston at public memorial she arranged
