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John McGahern

ジョン・マクガーハーン

John McGahern

Pen Names: Sean（Used as a pen name in some contexts）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1934-11-12 （Dublin, Ireland）
Died
2006-03-30 （Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland） age 71
Nationality
Irish
Languages
English
Religion
Roman Catholic
Residence History
Corramahon, County Leitrim (raised in childhood) → Cootehall (lived in Garda barracks with father) → Aughaboneill, near Fenagh (farm where he lived later) → Dublin (birthplace and later life)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Novelist, Short story writer, Teacher (former)
Active Years
1961-2006
Affiliations
Aosdána (Irish state-funded association of artists), Colgate University (visiting professor), University of Notre Dame (visiting professor), University of Victoria (visiting professor), Durham University (visiting professor), University College Dublin (visiting), National University of Ireland, Galway (archive holder/visiting)
Memberships
Aosdána
Influenced By
(Not explicitly listed in source)
Influenced
Colm Tóibín, Eamonn McGrath, Many younger Irish writers from the 1990s onward
Nominations
Booker Prize nomination (Amongst Women, 1990)

Education

St Patrick's College of Education, Drumcondra
Period: 1950年代（在籍期間は資料により前後）
Country: Ireland
Trained as a primary school teacher; later worked as a primary school teacher
University College Dublin (UCD)
Period: 1950年代（最終学位取得 1957年）
Year of Graduation: 1957
Country: Ireland
Graduated from UCD in 1957

Awards

AE Memorial Award
1962
Work: The Barracks
Organization: Irish Arts Council
Result: 受賞
Macauley Fellowship
1964
Organization: Irish Arts Council
Result: 受賞
FRSL (Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature)
1979
Organization: Royal Society of Literature
Result: 叙任
Irish Times/Aer Lingus Fiction Award
1990
Work: Amongst Women
Organization: The Irish Times / Aer Lingus
Result: 受賞
Man Booker Prize (shortlisted)
1990
Work: Amongst Women
Organization: Man Booker
Result: ノミネート（ショートリスト）
Prix Écureuil de Littérature Etrangère (Bordeaux)
1995
Organization: Prix Écureuil (Bordeaux)
Result: 受賞
Irish PEN Award
2003
Organization: Irish PEN
Result: 受賞
Irish Novel of the Year (Hughes & Hughes / Irish Book Awards)
2003
Work: That They May Face the Rising Sun (By the Lake)
Organization: Irish Book Awards
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Barracks

1963 Novel

A novel set in a small town barracks, chronicling the life of Elizabeth Reegan and those around her as she declines from cancer; an early work that examines local life in detail.

rural communityillness and deathfamily dynamics
Adaptations
  • [Stage (radio/theatre)] The Barracks (stage adaptation) / Hugh Leonard (adaptation) (1969)
Translations
  • Translated into French and other languages

The Dark

1965 Novel

Follows a young boy's development through the Irish schooling system, exploring a violent father-son relationship and struggles over identity.

father–son relationshipseducationsexual repression
Translations
  • Translated into French and others

Amongst Women

1990 Novel

Set in south Leitrim, it tells of Michael Moran, an ex-IRA commander dominating his family; through domestic conflict it portrays social change and the legacy of republican ideals.

authority and familymemory and the pastsocial change in rural communities
Adaptations
  • [Television (mini-series)] Amongst Women (TV adaptation) / Tom Cairns (1998)
Translations
  • Translated into French and other languages

That They May Face the Rising Sun (published in the US as By the Lake)

2002 Novel

A portrait of a year in a lakeside rural community, exploring the meaning of ordinary lives; a late novel reflecting on everyday existence.

everyday lifecommunitylater-life reflection
Adaptations
  • [Film] That They May Face the Rising Sun (film) / Pat Collins (2023)
Translations
  • Published in the United States as By the Lake

Bibliography

  • The End or the Beginning of Love (unpublished novel)
  • The Barracks (1963)
  • The Dark (1965)
  • The Leavetaking (1975)
  • The Pornographer (1979)
  • Amongst Women (1990)
  • That They May Face the Rising Sun / By the Lake (2002)
  • Memoir (All Will Be Well in US, 2005)
  • Short story collections (Nightlines, Getting Through, The Stoat, High Ground, The Collected Stories, Creatures of the Earth)
  • Essays: Love of the World (collected)

Adaptations

  • Amongst Women (1998 TV mini-series)
  • Korea (1995 film, based on the short story)
  • That They May Face the Rising Sun (film, 2023)

Translations of Works

  • Many works translated into French
  • That They May Face the Rising Sun published in the US as By the Lake

Style & Themes

Literary Style
restrained prosedetailed depiction of rural life and everyday detailconcise, observant style
Recurring Motifs
father–son relationshipsCatholicism and social normsrural communitydeath and illness

Health

  • cancer
    2000年代初頭〜2006年（晩年）
    Was the cause of death in 2006; affected his final years

Legacy

John McGahern holds an important place in late 20th and early 21st-century Irish literature; praised for detailed portrayals of rural life and family dynamics, he influenced many younger writers and has been widely translated.

Museums

  • Glenview Folk Museum (holds McGahern-related material/exhibits) Near County Leitrim, Ireland

Academic Societies

  • Aosdána

Archives

  • National University of Ireland, Galway (John McGahern literary archive)

In Popular Culture

  • Screen adaptations include Amongst Women (1998 TV mini-series), the film Korea (1995, based on a short story), and the recent film adaptation of That They May Face the Rising Sun (2023).
  • Praised in major publications such as The Guardian and described at times as 'the greatest living Irish novelist' in contemporary press.

Quotes

  • "The ordinary fascinates me."
    Source: Spoken on RTÉ radio programme Rattlebag (2002); also reflected in his writings (2002)
  • "The ordinary is the most precious thing in life."
    Source: Interview / public remark (2002)

Trivia

  • Used the pen name 'Sean' on occasion.
  • Publication of The Dark led to controversy and his dismissal from a teaching post.
  • Buried alongside his mother at St Patrick's Church, Aughawillan.