John Banville
Considered by many to be a master stylist of the English language - indeed 'Lord of language' by some - John Banville's roots were relatively humble...
Raised in a working class family in County Wexford, Ireland, John was the youngest of three siblings, was educated locally and did not attend university. His father died while John was in his early thirties, and following some time spent as an Aer Lingus steward, where he travelled widely, he returned to Ireland and found successive editing jobs at the Irish Press and the Irish Times.
His first book, Long Lankin was published in 1970, and he has kept up a steady stream of works ever since, both under his own name and his pseudonym, Benjamin Black (the name under which he has written his latest work, Christine Falls) which have garnered ever-increasing praise. The Book of Evidence was Booker shortlisted in 1989, and his novel The Sea - a book he himself described as a work of art - won the 2005 Booker prize.
Regarded as one of Ireland's finest writers of the late 20th/early 21st century, he is known for his precise, clear-sighted prose style, a certain dark humour and what has been termed 'Nabakovian inventiveness'.
Christine Falls is priced £12.99, and is available from all good bookshops now.
