John Boyne


John Boyne is an Irish novelist. He is the author of eleven novels for adults and six novels for younger readers. His novels are published in over 50 languages. His 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was adapted into a 2008 film of the same name.

Biography

Boyne was born in Dublin, where he still lives to this day. His first short story was published by the Sunday Tribune and in 1993 was shortlisted for a Hennessy Literary Award. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin and the University of East Anglia, in 2015 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of East Anglia. He chaired the jury for the 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Boyne is gay, and has spoken about the difficulties he encountered growing up gay in Catholic Ireland.
He regards John Banville as "the world's greatest living writer".

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was published in 2006. The book has sold over seven million copies worldwide. A Heyday/Miramax film adaptation, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, was shot in Budapest in mid-2007 and released in late 2008. Directed by Mark Herman, the film stars Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga, Rupert Friend and Sheila Hancock. In January 2020, the book was cited by the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, in a set of back and forth tweets between the museum and the author, as a book that should be avoided by those promoting accurate understanding of the Holocaust. In response, Boyne suggested that the Museum's criticism contained inaccurate information.

Controversy

His 2019 book My Brother's Name is Jessica, about a trans girl, was criticised over its portrayal of transgender topics, for misgendering people and cis privilege, such as how he rejects the term "cis", and wants to debate transgender rights. He deleted his Twitter account, claiming social media harassment, though he would later rejoin the site. Some Irish authors have supported him.

Selected works

Novels

Other Awards: