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St. John Greer Ervine

せんと・じょん・じー・えるゔぁいん

Sento Jon Jī Eruvain

Aliases: John Greer Irvine / St John Ervine

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1883-12-28 （Ballymacarrett, east Belfast）
Died
1971-01-24 （Iping, Sussex） age 87
Nationality
Irish, Northern Irish
Languages
English
Religion
Protestant
Residence History
Belfast → London → Seaton, Devon → Iping, Sussex

Career

Occupations
biographer, novelist, critic, dramatist, theatre manager
Active Years
1910-1971
Affiliations
Abbey Theatre, The Observer
Influenced By
George Bernard Shaw
Influenced
W. B. Yeats, Sean O'Casey

Awards

James Tait Black Memorial Prize
1956
Work: Bernard Shaw: His Life, Work, and Friends
Category: 伝記部門
Organization: University of Edinburgh
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Mixed Marriage

1911 Drama

A play depicting mixed marriage between Protestant and Catholic in Belfast.

interdenominational marriageNorthern Irish society

John Ferguson

1915 Drama

One of Ervine's representative plays.

familyreligion

The First Mrs. Fraser

1929 Drama

A drawing-room comedy that had a long run in the West End.

marriagesociety

Boyd's Shop

1936 Drama

The play that defined Northern Irish drama for decades.

Northern Irelandshop

The Wayward Man

1927 Novel

One of the first novels to explore the character and conflicts of Belfast.

Belfasturban depression

Bibliography

  • Mixed Marriage (1911)
  • The Magnanimous Lover (1912)
  • The Critics (1913)
  • Jane Clegg (1913)
  • The Orangeman (1914)
  • John Ferguson (1915)
  • The Island of Saints and How to Get Out of It (1920)
  • The Ship (1922)
  • The Lady of Belmont (1924)
  • The First Mrs. Fraser (1929)
  • Boyd's Shop (1936)
  • William John Mawhinny (1940)
  • Friends and Relations (1941)
  • My Brother Tom (1952)
  • Ballyfarland's Festival (1953)
  • Martha (1955)
  • The Tailor of Charing Cross (1912)
  • Mrs Martin's Man (1914)
  • Alice and a Family (1915)
  • Changing Winds (1917)
  • The Foolish Lovers (1920)
  • The Wayward Man (1927)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
realismdepiction of Belfast lifeEdwardian realism
Recurring Motifs
Ulster Protestant straincity depressionfamily conflicts

Health

  • Amputation of leg
    1917年頃
    Wounded in Flanders, resulting in leg amputation and discharge from military service.

Legacy

Most prominent Ulster writer of the early 20th century and major Irish dramatist whose work influenced Yeats and O'Casey. Awarded James Tait Black Memorial Prize.

Archives

  • Harry Ransom Center (University of Texas)

Quotes

  • I have never met anyone who was not depressed by Belfast.
    Source: The Wayward Man (1927)

Trivia

  • Born to deaf-mute parents.
  • Every family member born in County Down for 300 years.
  • Moved to London shortly after becoming an insurance clerk in Belfast at age 17.
  • Witnessed Emily Davison being fatally injured at the 1913 Derby.