Costa Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 11 (1981) Winner
Maurice Leitch
もーりす・りーち
Mōrisu Rīchi
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1933-07-05 （Muckamore, County Antrim, Northern Ireland）
- Died
- 2023-09-26 （Canterbury, Kent, England） age 90
- Nationality
- United Kingdom, Northern Irish
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Protestant
- Residence History
- County Antrim, Northern Ireland → London, England
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Short story writer, Dramatist, Radio/TV producer, Screenwriter
- Active Years
- 1965-2023
- Affiliations
- BBC Northern Ireland, BBC Radio Drama Department
- Influenced By
- Louis MacNeice
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methodist College Belfast | — | — | — | — | United Kingdom |
| Stranmillis College | — | — | — | — | United Kingdom |
Methodist College Belfast
Country:
United Kingdom
Stranmillis College
Country:
United Kingdom
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Guardian Fiction Prize | Poor Lazarus | — | The Guardian | Winner |
| 1981 | Whitbread Prize | Silver's City | — | — | Winner |
| 1999 | Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) | — | — | British Government | Awarded |
| 1981 | Pye Television Award | Rifleman | — | — | Winner |
Guardian Fiction Prize
1969
Work:
Poor Lazarus
Organization:
The Guardian
Result:
Winner
Whitbread Prize
1981
Work:
Silver's City
Result:
Winner
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
1999
Organization:
British Government
Result:
Awarded
Pye Television Award
1981
Work:
Rifleman
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Poor Lazarus
1969 NovelA tormented Protestant in a Catholic area is temporarily resurrected by a documentary filmmaker.
RepressionReligious conflictIdentity
Silver's City
1981 NovelExplores the conscience of Silver Steele, a freed Loyalist paramilitary hero facing new brutality.
The TroublesTerrorismProtestant perspective
Chinese Whispers
1987 NovellaA nurse in a psychiatric hospital and his patients face a disruptive new arrival.
MadnessFriendshipAuthority
Adaptations
- [TV film] Chinese Whispers / Stuart Burge (1989)
Bibliography
- The Liberty Lad
- Poor Lazarus
- Stamping Ground
- Silver's City
- Chinese Whispers
- The Hands of Cheryl Boyd
- Burning Bridges
- Gilchrist
- The Smoke King
- The Eggman's Apprentice
- Tell Me About It
- Dining at the Dunbar
- A Far Cry
- Seeking Mr. Hare
- Gone to Earth
Adaptations
- Chinese Whispers (BBC TV, 1989)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Protestant voiceDark, introspective narrativeUlster countryside depictions
- Recurring Motifs
- The TroublesSexual repressionReligious and social conflictIdentity crisis
Legacy
Northern Irish author known for Protestant perspectives on the Troubles, winner of Guardian Fiction Prize and Whitbread Prize, with significant BBC career.
Trivia
- His debut novel The Liberty Lad controversially addressed homosexuality.
- Provided a unique Protestant perspective in Irish literature dominated by Catholic voices.