Beyond the Book: Background information when reading Christine Falls

Beyond the Book

This article relates to Christine Falls

Benjamin Black is the pseudonym of John Banville who was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. He was educated at a Christian Brother's school and St Peter's College in Wexford. After leaving college he worked for the Irish airline Aer Lingus in Dublin, Ireland - which gave him the opportunity to travel widely.  He lives in Dublin.

His first book - Long Lankin, a collection of short stories, was published in 1970. It was followed by two novels, Nightspawn (1971) and Birchwood (1973). Dr Copernicus (historical fiction) won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction, and was followed by a series of novels exploring the lives of eminent scientists. The Sea (2005) won the Man Booker Prize.

Bibliography (dates and titles reflect UK publications as he has usually been published in the UK first)
Long Lankin, 1970; Nightspawn, 1971; Birchwood,1973; Dr Copernicus, 1976; Kepler, 1981; The Newton Letter: An Interlude, 1982; Mefisto, 1986; The Book of Evidence, 1989; Ghosts, 1993; Athena, 1995; The Ark, 1996; The Untouchable, 1997; Eclipse, 2000; Shroud, 2002; Prague Pictures: Portrait of a City, 2003; The Sea, 2005; Christine Falls, 2006; The Silver Swan, March 2008 in both the USA & UK.


Interesting Link:
Although much in the city has changed since the 1950s the historic buildings in Dublin haven't changed significantly; therefore this historic tour through Dublin may help give you a feeling of what Ireland's capital would have been like half a century ago

Filed under

This "beyond the book article" relates to Christine Falls. It originally ran in March 2007 and has been updated for the February 2008 paperback edition. Go to magazine.

This review is available to non-members for a limited time. For full access become a member today.