World News

Maeve Binchy, popular Irish author; at 72

MAEVE BINCHY Liam White,/EPA

By ROBERT BARR

July 31, 2012

2 minutes to read

LONDON — Best-selling Irish author Maeve Binchy died in Dublin at 72 after a brief illness, Irish news reports
said.

One of Ireland’s most popular writers, Ms. Binchy sold more than 40 million books worldwide. She was best known for her depictions of human relationships and their crises in such books as ‘‘Circle of Friends’’ and ‘‘Tara Road,’’ set mainly in the small towns of Ireland but also in London.

The Irish Times said the
author died in a Dublin hospital Monday with her husband, Gordon Snell, by her side.

‘‘She was an outstanding novelist, short story writer, and columnist, who engaged millions of people all around the world with her fluent and accessible style,’’ said Ireland’s president, Michael D. Higgins.

‘‘In recent years she showed great courage and thankfully never lost her self-deprecating humor, honesty, and remarkable integrity,’’ Higgins said.

Ms. Binchy wrote 16 novels, four collections of short stories, a play, and a novella. Her work landed her on The New York Times’ bestseller list and in Oprah’s Book Club.

‘‘I do realize that I am a popular writer who people buy to take on vacation,’’ Ms. Binchy said in an interview with the BookReporter website. “I’m an escapist kind of writer.’’

‘‘I was just lucky I lived in this time of mass-market paperbacks,’’ she added.

After graduating from University College Dublin, Ms. Binchy worked as a teacher before becoming a journalist, columnist, and editor at the Irish Times.

Her first novel, ‘‘Light a Penny Candle,’’ was published in 1982, after being rejected by five publishers, and became a bestseller.

‘‘Circle of Friends’’ and ‘‘Tara Road,’’ and her short story ‘‘How About You’’ were turned into films. Two other novels, ‘‘Echoes’’ and ‘‘The Lilac Bus,’’ were filmed for television.

‘‘Tara Road,’’ about Irish and American women who switch homes without having met, was chosen by US television talk show host Oprah Winfrey for her popular book club

Ms. Binchy’s novel ‘‘Minding Frankie’’ was published in 2010, the same year she received a lifetime achievement honor from the Irish Book Awards. Her latest novel, ‘‘A Week in Winter,’’ is to be published later this year.