A cikkben Maeve Binchy műveit és azok angol nyelvű narratíváit vezeti be az olvasó számára, kiemelve a kisvárosi életek és a női kapcsolatok gazdag, aprólékos megjelenítését, amely az ír irodalom egyik jellegzetes vonása.
Binchy karakterei és a kisvárosi élet súlya
As a child, Elizabeth White was sent from her war torn London home to a safer life in the small Irish town of Kilgarret. It was there, in the crowded, chaotic O’Connor household, that she met Aisling who would become her very best friend, sharing her pet kitten and secretly teaching her the intricacies of Catholicism. Aisling’s boldness brought Elizabeth out of her proper shell; later, her support carried Elizabeth through the painful end of her parents’ chilly marriage. In return, Elizabeth’s friendship helped Aisling endure her own unsatisfying marriage to a raging alcoholic. Through the years, they always believed they could overcome any conflict, conquer any hardship. They believed they could survive anything, as long as they had each other.
- Elizabeth és Aisling kapcsolata a barátság és a családi feszültségek ábrázolásának példája.
- A kisvárosi környezet és a társadalmi osztályok közötti határok gyakori átívelése a történeteken keresztül.
Rathdoon és a hétvégéi utak dinamikája
Every Friday night a lilac colored minibus leaves Dublin for the Irish country town of Rathdoon with seven weekend commuters on board. All of them, from the joking bank porter to the rich doctor’s daughter, have their reasons for making the journey. Rathdoon is the kind of Irish village where family histories are shared and scandals don’t stay secret for long.
Iskolai barátságok, ifjúság és első szerelem
brought together as adults by a desire that knew no class, no barriers, only the urgent hunger of two people destined to love and ready to defy a world determined to keep them apart. Even at fifteen, David Power knew the echo would answer eleven year old Clare O’Brien’s dearest wish, to win a school prize. But it was years before Dr. Power’s cherished only son saw in the huckster’s daughter the answer to his own heart’s desire. Here in Castlebay, perched precariously on the seaside cliffs, the lines between them were clearly drawn. For Clare, that was before the wild freedom of Dublin, and love. And David.
- Az ifjúság és a szerelem útjain fellépő társadalmi és helyi korlátok tükröződései.
- Családi és közöttük lévő kötelékek hatása a felnőtté válásra.
Igaz történet vagy fikció? A Boulevard és a Quentins nyomában
Kate Ryan and her husband, John, have a rollicking pub in the Irish village of Mountfern, four lovely children, and such wonderful dreams. But all that changes one fateful summer when American millionaire Patrick O Neill comes to town with his irresistible charm and money to burn. As love and hate vie for a town’s quiet heart, old traditions begin to crumble away. Patrick O Neill means to build the grand hotel of his dreams, with its promise of wealth and change, but loyalties are challenged, jealousies are ignited, and tragedy strikes before the foundation is even laid. Suddenly the Ryans lives are bound up with the newcomer in ways they could never have imagined.
Filmadaptációk és a médiával való kapcsolatok
Binchy has showed her talent as drama writer for both radio and silver screen. However, many of her novels and short stories are adapted successfully for films and television. In addition, Tara Road and How About You are other two novels, which are made into Hollywood films. In addition, she won Jacob’s Award for a RTE play called Deeply Regretted By in 1978. Other than being novel writer she was an iconic figure for the Ireland receiving Irish PEN Award in 2007 and in 2010, she received lifetime achievement from the Irish Book Awards.
Életrajz és munkásság áttekintése
Maeve Binchy (born May 28, 1940, Dalkey, County Dublin, Ireland-died July 30, 2012, Dublin) was an Irish journalist and author of best-selling novels and short stories about small-town Irish life. Noted as a superb storyteller, Binchy examined her characters and their relationships with wit and great understanding. Educated at University College, Dublin (B.A., 1960), Binchy taught school in Dublin from 1961 to 1968, when she began her career as a reporter for the daily Irish Times. Her earliest short stories, first published in two collections in 1978 and 1980 and republished collectively as Victoria Line, Central Line (1983; also published as London Transports), are closely observed portraits of the struggles of contemporary women.
Ismertebb művek és tematikák
Binchy’s first novel, Light a Penny Candle (1982), follows the friendship of two young women through two decades. Her second novel, Echoes (1985), tells of the struggle of an impoverished young woman to escape a narrow-minded, cruel resort town. In 1988 it was produced as a miniseries on British television. A third best-seller, Firefly Summer (1987), concerns an Irish American who is forced to reconsider his misconceptions about Ireland when he goes there to live. Her later novels include Silver Wedding (1988), Circle of Friends (1991; film 1995), Tara Road (1998; film 2005), and Nights of Rain and Stars (2004).
Utóda és örökség
In 2008 Binchy released Heart and Soul, about a doctor who establishes a clinic in an underserved area while trying to juggle her own affairs. It was followed by Minding Frankie (2010), which centres on a single father who enlists the aid of his neighbours to help raise his infant daughter. The posthumously published A Week in Winter (2012) chronicles the vicissitudes of an Irish innkeeper and those of her guests. Binchy also wrote the short-story collections Maeve Binchy’s Dublin Four (1982), The Lilac Bus (1984; television movie 1990), and This Year It Will Be Different, and Other Stories: A Christmas Treasury (1996).
Műfaji örökség és hatás
Maeve Binchy has captured the hearts of readers with her spectacular national bestsellers Circle of Friends, The Glass Lake, and This Year It Will Be Different. Many of her novels 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. Binchy announced in 2000 that she would not be going on tours with any more novels, but would be devoting her time to other activities, and to her English-born husband, Gordon Snell, a children's author.
